Cyanocitta
by Vermillion Dragonfly
Summary: An alien invasion captures the Titans and leaves Starfire and an unlikely villain working together. But is Red X really a villain after all?
1. only after success

Cyanocitta

i. only after success

* * *

"Robin..." Hesitantly, the girl flew out of her room, glancing at the Earth clothing she currently wore.

"Star, you look great!" Robin was also dressed in casual clothing; something she was not used to. Instead of wearing his mask, he wore sunglasses instead - ones that covered his face much like his mask did. He had a duffel bag at his side, and she was curious as to what was in it.

Robin wanted to take her out for the night, and of course, Starfire agreed. He didn't want to take breaks often - even after the trouble they encountered in Tokyo, he was still as determined as ever. Though she didn't know where he was planning on taking them, she wondered if it was some special Earth holiday she didn't know about. Still, she always enjoyed the rare moments when they - just them - got to be together.

"I already told the team we'll be gone for most of the night," He said, and then mentioned, "And Cyborg and Beast Boy promised that they wouldn't watch 'Trial of the Dragon' until tomorrow."

That was right; today was their normal movie-marathon day. She smiled, "Glorious! I do wish to see the trial that the dragon must undertake!" He grabbed her hand and grimaced when she squeezed it a little too tightly. As they walked out, however, the Tower began flashing red.

"Ugh," Robin groaned, letting go of her hand and running into the living room where the screen was displayed, "Titans, what's the trouble?"

"We got this, y'all," Cyborg turned to them as coordinates of the recent criminal activity popped up on the large screen, "It's Red X again." Sure, he'd faced the Titans a handful of times, but recently he'd been a little quiet.

"No," Robin was adamant. He was still hung up about Red X being his responsibility. "I know how Red X's suit works better than anyone. Give me-"

"Dude, we can handle it," Beast Boy insisted. "We've fought him like a billion times!"

"Yeah," Cyborg smirked at the two, "You guys on your little date . We got the crime this time."

As the three prepared to leave, Robin tried to convince them otherwise. Starfire, in the meanwhile, floated there dejectedly. She was disappointed the thief had picked this inopportune moment to strike.

"Red X hasn't been active in awhile. He could have new tricks up his sleeve and letting you guys go without -"

"We contacted Titans East," Raven said calmly. Though the thief wouldn't give them _that_ much trouble, she knew it would assuage Robin's worries. "Speedy said he had something to do with Green Arrow back in Star City, but everyone else is on the way. We will be fine. Go to the circus. This could be the only time it's in the city."

Starfire blinked. They were going to the circus? Had Robin told everyone his plans but her? Was the circus that special on Earth? He sighed, gritting his teeth together as their teammates ran off. She frowned, turning to him. She knew he was in distress. Robin was not the type to sit out on missions, especially not ones he felt responsible for.

"Please, Robin, do not despair! I am sure the circus will be great fun!"

He sighed once more, relenting, "Yeah...and they said they've contacted Titans East. I'm sure they'll capture Red X this time. We can find out who he really is." He seemed like he was trying to convince himself as he walked back out of the Tower, Starfire following right behind him.

Since they were in civilian clothing, Starfire decided that she would instead ride a motorcycle (riding the R-Cycle would be a bit _too_ conspicuous) with Robin, arms firmly around his stomach in a tight hug. "Robin, what is a circus like? We do not have them on Tamaran."

"Well, the circus that we're going to was pretty famous a few years ago. After a...um," He paused, clearing his throat and then continuing, "...an accident, the circus sort of lost some steam. But they're back in town again. And, well, I think it would be cool if I could take you to it."

"Yes! It would be very chilling indeed!" She chirped, resting her head on his back. "Tell me, Robin, is this circus one you always used to frequent?" It had to be special if he was willing to let the other Titans handle Red X.

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, he sounded sad. "Yeah...I guess you can say that."

The rest of the trip was quiet. Starfire sensed the sadness in his voice, and did not know if it was not tracking Red X that was troubling him, or going to the circus. The silence did not last long, however. Soon, the tent of the circus and all the bright signs came into focus. Robin parked the motorcycle, and hopped off.

There was laughter and people running about everywhere. Starfire even saw cotton candy - oh, and the balloons being sold made such wonderful shapes! She glanced up at the neon light sign that led to the circus, reading _Haly's Circus. _"I am sure this Haly is a wonderful person!" She chirped.

She followed Robin, who seemed to know where he was going. A particular poster drew her attention, one that was hidden out of sight from the crowd. It was faded, like it had been there a long time. There were three silhouettes of acrobats on the poster. The act was called 'The Flying Graysons', and for some reason, this poster caught her eye the most.

Not noticing the antiquated nature of the poster, she innocently asked him, "Will we see these Flying Graysons tonight?"

"Star, I was thinking..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

He was nervous, and she wanted to know why. Suddenly, it popped into her head. She gasped, "Robin, you are not thinking of joining the circus?"

"No, I was thinking that...well, maybe it's time I tell you about me. I mean, the guy under the mask. After all, Batman got a new Robin so...I've been thinking about taking up a new identity," He laughed nervously, remembering what Starfire had told him about her encounter with Nightwing. "So...before I do that, I want you to know who I really am."

Of course, Starfire had always been curious as to what color Robin's eyes were. Or what he would look like without a mask - or sunglasses, in this case. Or what his actual name might be... She knew, however, that he would tell her when the time was right. They were in a spot where no one was coming by, after all. Starfire could hardly contain her excitement - it took willpower to stay rooted to the ground.

"Uh...remember that race a long time ago? With Ding Dong Daddy stealing my briefcase?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Yes! I recall that inside was a costume."

"An acrobat's costume, for a circus act," He continued, gesturing to the poster, "My name is actually -"

He was cut off by the T-Comm beeping, coming from the duffel bag. She frowned - so he couldn't stay away from justice after all. He turned away from her and opened the duffel bag, unzipping it just a little so she couldn't see what was inside. He pulled out the communicator and said into it, "Titans, report."

"Hate to interrupt you and your girlfriend, Rob, but we need you and Star," Cyborg said, and through the communicator they could hear the clash of metal in the background, along with a few cries. His voice seemed far away for a moment as he yelled, "Yo, BB, watch Raven's back! Bumblebee, get that one over there!" Then, back on the communicator, "You guys need to get your butts over here!"

The two exchanged glances. It sounded like more than just Red X.

"We'll be right there," Robin responded, sighing and then turning around. "Sorry, Star," He frowned, "I guess...we'll save this for another time." It only took a moment for them to change back into their normal uniforms, and then they were off.

"I cannot believe that the Red X is being the stump to our friends!" She exclaimed as she flew alongside Robin's motorcycle. The road they were taking was cliff side, only the guard rail separated them from the ocean. Looking out at the Tower, however, Starfire noticed something different.

"Are those more of the Red X's gadgets?" She asked, pointing out what appeared to be floating discs in the sky, surrounding the Tower. Staring at them for a bit, she realized that they had to be spaceships.

"I don't think allying with aliens in Red X's style," He responded, muttering, "He's not the type to ally with _anyone._"

After a moment of silence, Robin said, "Be on your guard, Star. We're nearing the coordinates."

They came up towards the docks to see the area in utter chaos. There were spaceships floating above the docks, with the Titans scattered everywhere. Lasers burned holes into the cement, destroying the buildings they happened to grace. Their friends were doing poorly against this new menace; they were getting thrashed by ships being piloted by creatures that looked much like Glgrdsklechhh, the green blob she had almost been married to.

As Starfire flew higher into the air, however, she noticed Red X taking advantage of the chaos and running away. She did not know if the two incidents were related, but she was about to find out. Letting out a cry, her eyes glowed emerald and she zoomed towards the running Red X. She threw a few starbolts at him - that certainly got his attention.

"I thought you were going to stand me up, cutie," He said, shooting an X at her. Though the X enlarged as it came towards her, Starfire was able to dodge it. She threw a starbolt at him that knocked him back, and quickly she closed in on him. She grabbed his wrists and shoved him to the ground, using her strength to keep him there. He ruined her date with Robin, and now he had summoned the people of Drenthax Four to hurt her friends! He wasn't going anywhere until she got her answers.

Her eyes a bright green, she asked angrily, "Where are your friends from?"

"Friends? I don't have any friends, honey. It's just a coincidence your alien family came to visit," He said, angling his palm towards her so that when he shot an X at her, it pinned her arms to her side, knocking her off of him.

"My alien family?" She asked, gasping as her sister flew into view. "Sister! Why are you here?" Her eyes turned green as she clenched her fists in anger, "I sent you to the Swamp Moons of Drenthax Four!"

Her sister was wearing the familiar Jewel of Charta upon her collar, as was evident by the red bolts appearing on her hands. There must have been more on the planet. Starfire struggled to get out of the binding Red X had put her in, but it was no avail.

Blackfire smirked, landing next to her sister. Though Starfire was able to shoot eyebolts at her, Blackfire easily walked around them. In her hand she had a collar that she was twirling around her finger. "Thanks for your help, thief. You see, sister dear, I've been using my _exile _productively and figured out something that would give me an edge for my revenge." She leaned down and snapped the collar on her neck.

"It also has this _neat_ little feature I think you'll enjoy," Smirking, Blackfire showed her a remote in her hand, pressing a button. An electrical shock caused a burning sensation to course through the redhead. She bit her lip and aimed her eyebolts at Blackfire, who merely smirked and sidestepped them once more. If Starfire could just move enough to get a good angle of her sister... "I don't think you like it enough, sister _dear_," Blackfire drawled, twisting the dial so the pain amplified.

The shock was so great that she let out a shriek, trying to break the binding so she could shoot her sister back. But the X binding her was too great, even for her super strength. "Stop, please!" She shouted, squeezing her eyes shut as the pain ripped through her.

The awful sensation was subdued when Blackfire was knocked back, the control falling to the floor. As the last licks of electricity stung her, a sudden wave of lethargy washed over her, and Starfire struggled to look at what was going on. Blackfire's arms were pinned to her sides by a red X.

She heard the thief say, "Sorry," but that was all that filtered through her mind. His voice sounded far away, and though she heard him say something else, the words weren't clear to her. So they weren't working together? She tried to think through the situation, but nothing was permeating the layer of numb coated over her brain.

"Ugh..." She groaned, feeling something on her shoulder. That was the last thing she remembered before the world revolved to black.


	2. self-fulfilled prophecy

Cyanocitta

A/N: Shout out to everyone who favorite'd and followed this story already. You guys are awesome, thank you so much! Especially my reviewers, thank you!

_disclaimer_: oops, I forgot to put this in the first chapter! I don't own anything. )=

ii. self-fulfilled prophecy

* * *

Her whole body ached and burned, especially her head. Had someone hit her with a hammer? No...that wasn't it. She struggled to remember what happened as she slowly sat up. Blackfire had slapped a shock collar on her and then ... something ... she couldn't remember past that. Ugh, what a day. It had been so happy, she and Robin were out on a date and he _wasn't_ obsessing over justice for once, and then everything had gone so wrong.

"So you're awake, Sleeping Beauty."

She gasped, jerking to where the voice came from. The sudden movement made her head spike with pain. Groaning, she held her head. Ugh, it smelled so awful in here. The place was congested with smoke, and that didn't make her headache feel much better.

"Having some family troubles, huh?" He asked, appearing at the end of the sofa she was laying on. He was sitting down at the end, and if she could see him without the mask, she could only imagine the smirk on his face. "I know how you feel."

"No, you do not!" She growled, balling her fists up to form starbolts. "...Huh?" Her power wasn't reacting to her emotions. Starbolts would not form, no matter how much she tried to feel righteous fury. Her eyes would not glow to connect with her powers either.

"What have you done with my powers?" She asked, lunging towards him.

"Easy there, doll," He grabbed her fists and easily twisted them, making her gasp once more as she pulled back. She had no super strength either? She stood and jumped into the air, thinking about the time she and Robin danced at the prom. That surely would get her into the air...but it did not. She could not fly. She sat down dejectedly.

"It's a power inhibitor collar," He said, "But it's powered by something alien. At least, I think so. Without electricity, it's hard to research anything. Not that I'm the type to lock myself up like Chuckles. I tried to pry it off of you, but that wouldn't work, either."

She glared at him, her fingers curling into her palms. He had _touched_ her? "I shall have you know that -"

He sighed, cutting her off with a wave of his hand. "You had mild electrical burns over your body. I wasn't going to let them get worse," He glanced at her, watching her _now_ notice that she had bandages wrapped around her arms and especially what he could get around her neck. "Sorry if that disturbs you, but couldn't let a cutie like you get hurt too bad."

_'The Red X is right, perhaps I would be in a worse state if it were not for him,'_ She thought, glad that the aching was only a dull throb among the pile of her jumbled emotions. When she stood up again, she took a step back as she felt herself grow dizzy. She felt a hand on her forearm to help her balance. Starfire glared at the man and pulled her arm away, going over to one of the windows that overlooked the city. Well, the ghetto. It was obvious they were in his apartment. His tiny, dark (though that was probably because of the blackout) and overall very unpleasant apartment. Had he ever heard of the cleaning vacuums?

Starfire only surmised that he must have saved her and taken her here. So, he must not have been allied with her sister or the people of Drenthax Four. Her head began to ache as she thought about the situation, so instead she looked at the city skyline. Or - what she could see of the black shapes against an already dark sky.

Jump City did not look so lively, even from what she could see beyond the slums. The night had never been so dark. There were no lights anywhere, but she could see candles lit in a windows. She tried to get a good look at the Tower, but only saw a faint glow of light that must have been emanating from it.

"Why is there no electricity?" She asked quietly, mistaking lights on spaceships for stars. The spaceships were clogging the sky - how many fleets had her sister brought? "Why is my sister here, why are the people of Drenthax Four helping her, why did you save me, and _where are my friends?!_"

She could hear him sigh. "One at a time, sweetheart. First," He held up a finger, "They fired an advanced EMP that shut down the electrical grid for the city. Not even generators will work, but I hear people are trying. Second and third, I believe it's because they want to take over the city. Maybe the whole Earth? Who knows, but I don't think they'll get that far. Finally, your friends are being held in the Tower. Obvious by how that's the only place here that has electricity."

"We must go save them!"

"No. Not now. You don't have your powers, and the city is in anarchy. Your sister and her endearing blob friends are looking everywhere for you," He replied. He was right, of course. If she just marched out there without powers, she would be captured and maybe even killed. Especially now that her sister had another jewel that amplified her powers. Was her life all that Blackfire was after?

"Then what shall we do? I will not abandon my friends!" She balled her fists, turning around to him. "I cannot trust you."

"I think a date could fix that, cutie," He said, which made her huff. "Look, the prisons all lost electricity and most of the criminals have gotten out of jail. Without the Titans, Jump is in chaos. Your only friend right now, is me."

"You have stolen from Robin. You are no friend of mine!" She shouted, and then sat back on the couch in anger.

"Ouch," He feigned injury.

She did not care. She wanted her powers and her friends back. She looked at her hands and sighed. The collar reminded her of being imprisoned by the Gordanians. At least she _had_ powers then, and could escape her predicament. Starfire felt like a prisoner. "There is nothing I can do."

"Because you don't have powers?" He asked, and she nodded. He scoffed, "I don't have powers and I can still fight."

"You rely on your technology -" She paused, and then corrected herself, "_Robin's_ technology."

"I don't need any of the Boy Wonder's help to be a good fighter, it's just convenient," He replied, taking off his utility belt and putting it to the side. Starfire narrowed her eyes. Was he doing this as a gesture of trust, or was he trying to prove something? "Come on, cutie, let me teach you some kung fu."

"I am not interested."

"You're just going to mope in here then, huh? I'm sure your friends would be very proud of you, kid."

That hit a nerve. Robin had taught her some things about martial arts, and it wasn't like she didn't spend enough time with him to mimic what he knew how to do. Tamaraneans were good fighters, after all. She would not sit here, feeling useless already, and have a criminal mock her.

"Very well," She took a deep breath to clear her head. It still felt a little heavy - and the thick smell of smoke did nothing to alleviate the heaviness - but she was no longer dizzy. She stood, facing him.

"Let's bet on it, cutie," He also stood, removing his gloves and tossing them on the couch. "If you win, you can decide where to go for our date. If I win, I decide. Deal?"

"We shall not be enjoying recreational activities together!" She responded with a shout.

He wasn't fazed by her sudden burst of anger. Without her powers, he didn't consider Starfire too intimidating. He merely responded with, "I'll think of something else."

Red X launched towards her, throwing a punch her way. She dodged, seeing his leg come up in a kick. She crossed her arms to block it, but as she did so, he jumped up and spun around, kicking her lightly in the stomach and gracefully flipping back as she landed on the floor. Her head felt like it was glued to the floor it was so heavy, but she would not back down so easily.

She sat up, seeing Red X's hand outstretched towards her. "Come on cutie, are you ready for round two?"

She stood up on her own, refusing his help. Knocking his hand away, she aimed a kick at his stomach. He dodged it, however, grabbing her leg and easily flipping her onto her back. She felt ringing echoing throughout her head, causing her to groan. Starfire was disappointed that she lost so easily. If she was feeling better, she was sure she would have won.

"Looks like I win, sweetheart," He pulled up his mask just above his nose, showcasing just a touch of a smirk. He crouched over her, placing his knees on her elbows as he leaned towards her, his hands on either side of her head. Her face burned as she felt his lips next to ear. "How about a kiss?"

With what strength she could muster, she threw her head forward to hit him in the nose in a proper headbutt. She'd done plenty of those to know how to not hurt herself, but despite that, she felt her vision grow fuzzy. It got Red X off of her, and quickly she scrambled away from him.

"I do not wish for our mouths to touch," She mumbled, rubbing her head and turning away from him. It took a moment for the heat on her cheeks to die down.

"Hm," He was staring at her, his mask pulled back down to cover his whole face, "You don't look so good, kid. Maybe you irritated your burns."

She rested her head against the wall, deciding to be honest. "My head does not feel so good." She closed her eyes, trying to block out the awful smell of the place or the situation. He was crouching right next to her, however, which was evident when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Please, I ask that you leave me alone," Her eyes flicked up towards him, and he lifted his hand off of her. He nodded, and then she closed her eyes once more. Hopefully he would keep his word. Starfire wasn't too sure how relaxed she would allow herself to be in his presence.

Though she was not in meditating position, Raven's meditating mantra looped through her head. Perhaps if she could concentrate on peace, quiet, and tranquility, then maybe she could shut out all of the aching she felt, both emotionally and physically. She wasn't aware how much time has passed she was so absorbent on recollecting her thoughts. Her concentration, however, was broken when she heard Red X's voice, whispering.

"Kid, you awake?" Did she pretend to be asleep or answer him? Answering him could possibly infuriate her more, and her headache could grow worse. She elected to pretend to be asleep. She heard him sigh, and then she felt his finger brush her cheek as a piece of her hair was tucked behind her ear. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself as still as possible, though part of her wanted to clench her fist and clock the guy in the jaw. He did nothing else, however, so the girl let it slide.

"Sweet dreams, Princess."


	3. defenses up

Cyanocitta

Thank you to those who reviewed, favorite'd, or followed the story! (and even gave suggestions, I think I can definitely use those!)

iii. defenses up

* * *

The night had never seemed so slow. Starfire had not been able to go to sleep once. The thought of not knowing what was happening to her friends was too distressing for her to sleep peacefully. There was the matter of no electricity. No electricity meant no heat, and though winter was ending, it was still quite cold. Of course, being in a criminal's home did not exactly ease her troubled mind either. Though Red X, who she heard walking around the apartment through most of the night, must have noted how she was hugging herself and placed a blanket over her. He also changed her bandages - her fist had been curled, ready to smack him in the jaw if he tried anything, but almost to her surprise, he did nothing. Despite this display of kindness, she by no means did not feel comfortable around him.

She didn't know how long it was before she finally heard Red X stop his pacing. She assumed he finally went to sleep. It felt like forever - but time passed more slowly when she was without her friends.

She opened her eyes, deciding to explore his apartment while he was asleep. It wasn't too dark, looking out the window she saw the black of night slowly revolve into a lighter blue. Starfire frowned, pulling the blanket tighter around her. Perhaps she shouldn't be too concerned over a thief, but she still couldn't help but worry. Did Red X not get much sleep at night? That was not good for his health.

On the bright side, however, she was feeling much better. She tried various methods of getting the collar off of her, but it would not budge. It wasn't made out of anything that was remotely similar to any Earth or Tamaran material she had encountered. She figured that she might be able to find something in his apartment that could help her - she did not know what, but she had certainly surprised her friends before.

The apartment was not very clean, and was cramped. She hadn't gotten a good look at it yesterday. The redhead walked into his kitchen, seeing that it was narrow and unsurprisingly bare - with the exception of an ashtray on the counter and a few loaves of tightly wrapped bread in the corner. There was also a book on the counter that appeared very loved. Looking at the book, she saw that it was titled _The Divine Comedy._ She flipped through the pages, but as her eyes skimmed the words, she quickly realized there was nothing about this book that was amusing. If anything, it appeared to be quite depressing. She placed the book down, not wanting him to lose his place, despite her assumption that he had read it quite a few times. Starfire would never have pegged him as a reader.

It was none of her business, really, but she felt curiosity biting at her. Starfire knew nothing about Red X, and while he was sleeping was the perfect time to get a sense of who he was - or at least, what he liked to eat. Perhaps they could find a common ground with the delightful beverage known as mustard? It wasn't like she had anything else to do other than be preoccupied with her worry. If she stepped outside like this, someone would recognize her. She didn't doubt that Blackfire would overturn every nook and cranny before she found her. And then what could she do? Starfire was of no use to her friends captured along with them.

She looked through his cabinets, not seeing much out of the ordinary. He had chipped glasses, cracked china plates, and an assortment of out-of-date spices. Looking through his drawers, there was not much - weapons he must have accrued somewhere, and one contained a manila folder. Taking out the folder, she saw that there were recipes inside.

Starfire couldn't help but giggle. The thought of Red X cooking - she glanced at the recipe at the top of the stack - _chili dogs_ made her laugh. She supposed she had no room to talk for his apparently odd diet of chili dogs and bread, considering her own alien appetite.

She forced herself to quiet her giggles, as she didn't know how Red X would like her snooping through his kitchen. She pried open the freezer first, to see a few tubs of neapolitan ice cream lying there. There was nothing else that was too extraordinary to note, except there was no mystery blue fuzz covering everything, unlike the Titans' freezer.

She opened his fridge next to see that he had some typical stuff in there; milk, eggs, cold cuts, and other miscellaneous things. She saw that there was something behind the half empty carton of milk, and she took the carton out of the fridge to see what it was. She covered her mouth and fought down more laughter as she saw that there were more loaves of bread in the back. Starfire never put any thought into Red X's diet, but if she had, she would not have expected he was a bread kind of guy.

"Having fun?"

"Eep!" Startled, she jolted backwards, letting go of the milk carton as she did so. Though Red X made a motion to catch the carton, he was too far away, and it splashed everywhere. She flushed, uttering an apology as she looked around for a washcloth to clean it up. The masked thief grabbed a towel and mopped it up, throwing out the soggy ones once the milk was gone.

"I-" She stuttered, unable to meet him in the eye. It was like she was a child getting caught having their dessert before dinner. Fidgeting, she mumbled another apology, "I am sorry."

"Don't be, honey," He stated, and after a moment of silence he asked, "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"No...I am worried for my friends. I feel lost when I am not with them. I wish to know if they are alright," Starfire glanced up at him, immediately fixating her eyes on the floor. The kitchen was rather narrow - though he was leaning against the opposite counter, they were quite close to each other. "I also feel worry that I shall be harmed again by this unpleasant necklace."

"Though it's alien technology, I bet even it has a range. Does your sister have nothing better to do than to play around with that dial?" Well, Starfire didn't doubt it. She said nothing in response, hoping that he was right.

There was a moment of silence before Red X asked, "Are you hungry? Is that why you were looking through my kitchen?" Starfire felt her cheeks heat up as she kept her gaze to the floor. "The floor can't appreciate how beautiful you are, you know." By placing his finger underneath her chin, he lifted her face so their eyes met. Well, where his eyes were, beneath the mask.

Her face burned, and her heart quickened. It was much like how she felt around Robin, but she was more nervous - and less happy. Starfire didn't know him like she knew Robin. Though Red X was a thief and far from her friend, he was still a person. He saved her from Blackfire, and helped prevent her burns from getting worse. He had some good in there. His hand left her face, crossing his arms and saying, "Well, sweetheart? You just going to stare at me all day?"

She blinked. "O-Oh, I am sorry. Perhaps food will allow us to do the clearing of the heads."

"The electricity is still out, but we might be able to get something off the streets," He stated, noting her odd reaction to his statement. "I know where to steal."

"I shall not!" She shouted, as he walked into what she supposed was his room. She was about to follow him in there when the door shut behind him. "Zorrgnarg!" She huffed, crossing her arms. Before she could do anything, the door opened back up with Red X holding a hoodie out to her.

"Put this on and keep the hood up," He demanded, "And stay close to me." As an afterthought, he added, "One more thing - try to remain quiet." She looked at him quizzically, and he answered her unspoken question, "The moment you open your mouth, you'll identify yourself." Her accent was quite distinguishing, after all.

Hesitantly, she nodded. She could try to remain quiet. She pulled the hoodie over her head, inhaling the smell of smoke as she did so. She coughed, pulling the hood over her head. It definitely hid her face and concealed her inhibitor collar, but she did not like wearing his clothes. "I do not think you understand: I will not commit any criminal activities today, or any day!"

"I don't have any money to spare on me, do you?"

"Perhaps if we were to try asking nicely..." The thought of _stealing_ rubbed her the wrong way. The thought of stealing using Robin's technology made her feel even worse. Starfire knew how he beat himself up about Red X, and she did not want to contribute to that.

"Tell you what: if you help me in getting breakfast, I'll help you investigate the city and see what we can find out about your friends. The invasion must have some weakness, and I know this part of Jump better than you do," He offered his hand to her. "Do we have a deal, sweetheart?"

She did not take his hand, but nodded anyways. "If this is our only choice, then I suppose there is nothing else I can do." Starfire followed Red X out into the slums, and was surprised at what she saw.

He must have noted her expression, because he said, "I told you that Jump was in anarchy."

Without the Titans, and without electricity, the city was chaotic. She saw many familiar criminals running around with bags of what she supposed was money. Nothing was stopping them, except for the citizens. To Starfire's surprise, many of them were now equipped with weapons that they obviously didn't know how to use. They were firing at the criminals stealing from homes, but the criminals were better equipped at fighting and -

Her first instinct was to scream as she watched a young man being gunned down by a villain. Her eyes glued to the scene, the villain ran off without no remorse, leaving the young man there, drenched in his own blood. She made a motion to run over and help, but Red X held her back. Having her bring attention to herself would not help them, not when Blackfire was out for blood.

Starfire was horrified. There was this type of violence being committed everywhere - the smart people were the ones who stayed indoors. The hopelessness that was thick in the air reminded her of Slade and Terra overtaking the city. She shuddered.

"We have to go, cutie," Red X gently grasped onto her hand and led her away from the scene. This time, she did not pull away from him. Without her powers, she felt vulnerable, and this feeling she did not like. Holding his hand tightly, she moved closer to him and gripped the crook of his elbow with her other hand.

While waiting for his snide remark, Starfire focused her attention on her surroundings. There was sprawling graffiti on every wall they passed, and some of the things they said frightened her. There were wanted posters for her, and it was clear they were being commissioned by Blackfire. She felt something well up in her throat, and she couldn't swallow it away no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't ever remember a place being this bad in Jump. She had to get her friends back, and the process was too unbearably slow for her.

"Could we perhaps skip fasting the break?" She murmured to him, keeping herself close.

"Sure, sweetheart, whatever you want. We'll get right on the intel, then," He said, continuing to walk through the streets. She tried not to flinch when she heard gunshots, but sometimes the shouts and screams of panicked people was too much. It didn't seem Red X was perturbed by it, which made her wonder what kind of life he lived. She wanted to help everyone so desperately, but could not do anything for them. Did he feel the same way, or was he just desensitized to it all?

"I do not wish to be here for long," She whispered, fixating her gaze to the floor. She couldn't just mope about her situation, but at the same time, she wondered if Red X was really trying the best he could to save her friends. He and Robin were not exactly best friends. Why was he helping her, anyway?

While she thought about what the best way to ask him, it appeared that they arrived at their destination. On one of the street corners was an old man wearing a fedora, talking to a few scared citizens. None of the bypassing criminals seemed to give him a second thought. Red X, with Starfire at his side, approached him. The citizens surrounding the old man noted him, and backed away. They still hovered around, giving them both wary looks.

"I'm only here for information, kids."

"Ah...Red X, you have a girlfriend," The old man examined Starfire thoroughly, but before he could say anything else, she instantly let go of Red X and hopped away from him.

"I am not his friend whom is a girl! We do not enjoy recreational activities together, and he does not buy me bountiful floral arrangements!" She snapped defensively, and then shook her head and clarified, "I apologize for making that impression, but we do not have that relation. I am merely scared." What had he _just_ said about her not speaking? Well, he couldn't get mad at her. He simply found it impossible, though he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze, hoping that would remind her. A flash of recognition lightened the old man's eyes, but he said nothing.

Red X's expression twitched, though it looked unchanged on the outside. The last time someone had been looking to him for protection was a long time ago. Back when he acted the _hero._ But why should he be disappointed, anyway? No, he _wasn't_ disappointed. He was fine. He would help Starfire rescue her friends and save the city, and then go back to being a lone wolf. It was how it was supposed to be. After all, who would look out for him if he didn't do it for himself?

The old man chuckled as the thief crossed his arms, "I suppose you're here for information about the Titans, again?"

"Again?" The redheaded alien inquired, but her question went unanswered.

"I suppose that means you have new information," The black-clad thief remarked.

"Turns out it's your lucky day!" The man exclaimed, almost a bit too enthusiastically, "I picked up on an interesting tidbit of information that may or may not pertain to the Titans."

"Talk," Red X demanded, grabbing the old man's collar and pushing him against the wall. Starfire was shocked that he would treat an elder this way. Robin would never do that - though, remembering when they were tracking down Slade...she sighed. If Robin was desperate enough... She shook her head, mentally smacking herself as she once again compared the two. That may have been Robin's suit, but the person in there was not Robin.

"Fine," The man coughed as the thief let go of him. "I hear one of the main buildings of Wayne Enterprises has a back-up generator running." He shrugged, "I don't know if it's true, but if it's anyone that can find a way to fund electricity in this mess, it's Bruce Wayne." Then, he leaned towards the two and put his hand up to his mouth, about to whisper a secret. "You didn't hear it from me, but I've heard that Mr. Wayne is a big fan of the Teen Titans."

"He is one of our -" She gasped, correcting herself quickly, "I do believe he helps fund the Titans tower." Red X looked at her, and could see her eyes from beneath her hood. She was too trusting. This information broker may have appeared nice and sweet, but he was ruthless. Why could Starfire trust the broker so easily, but not _him_?

The old man continued, "I bet Mr. Wayne doesn't want to see _another_ hero die. Especially after the last Ro-"

"_Thanks,_" Red X cut him off icily, clenching his fists subconsciously, "for the information."

"You're not going to pay an old man for his time?"

"No," He answered curtly, "Your payment is me letting you live."

The old man gave him a smile that showed he had enough, "Very well. I think it's time you learned some manners, spoiled brat." He turned towards Starfire and reached towards her, pulling off her hood. "I was being kind in not exposing you, but you teamed up with the wrong villain."

Starfire was too stunned to react instantly, so instead Red X pulled her hood back over her face. But it wouldn't change the fact that the hovering citizens saw her identity, and one of them made the very dumb mistake of pointing to her and saying, "You're Starfire!"

Some criminals, and some desperate citizens, turned towards the now hooded girl. She felt a hand tighten around her wrist as Red X tugged her towards a direction, urging her to run. He let go of her, and as she ran, she felt her hood fall off. She heard a gunshot, and on instinct she looked back.

Red X was a few paces behind her, embroiled in a fight with one of the people who were after her. Most were down due to his - _Robin's _- creative gadgets, but Starfire could not believe how many people were chasing her down. Was her sister really that desperate? When she looked in front of her, she was suddenly surrounded.

"They're not going to kill you," She heard Red X shout. Starfire didn't know how he would know that, but he had no reason to lie to her. He didn't want her dead, right? He had helped Robin save them once, after all. Deciding to trust him, she sprinted towards a fire escape she saw, jumping and just barely grabbing onto the bars. Without her super strength, Starfire found it difficult to flip herself around onto the fire escape, but she was able to do it. She did train, after all.

Once on the fire escape, she began to climb as fast as she could. However, as she did so, she heard another gunshot ricochet. A burning sensation sliced through her as she tripped backwards, tumbling down the stairs and coming to a halt once she landed on the floor, all the air pounded out of her. She attempted to stand, but the unbearable fire inside her flared, and she crumpled to her knees. Falling back and extending her legs out in front of her, she examined her wound. She saw that the bullet had managed to graze her leg. She couldn't tell how deep or severe the wound was due to the blood gushing everywhere. It looked bad, but she was no healer.

Her attention flicked back up to the people before her. Though most were wearing orange jumpsuits with numbers stitched on their uniforms, they all had a similar expression: _desperation._ Even normal citizens were looking out the windows, down at the situation or peeking around corners. It had only been a day, perhaps two at most. What had Blackfire done to _her city?! _

Suddenly, she felt something bracing her back and felt an arm wrap around her neck. She tensed, but she heard a familiar voice whispering, "Stay calm." Starfire glanced back at Red X, and realized that he was holding her at gunpoint. Despite his words, she struggled against him, but he tightened his grip on her throat.

"I cannot trust you," She hissed in a low voice. Though she had every reason not to, the words weighed him down.

"Come on, sweetheart, cooperate. For your friends and the Boy Wonder," He begged, but he must have saw her glaring viciously at him. "_Please,_" He added, his voice strained. The word felt sour in his mouth. She took a deep breath and relaxed against him, but kept her hands on his forearm to give the impression that they were not allies. Well...they _weren't_ allies. They were just cooperating, for her friends, and for Robin.

"Sorry, kids," The thief was now talking to the people scattered before, and behind him. "She's wanted _alive_, and if I were to shoot her, that would ruin _your_ chances at collecting that bounty." He removed his arm from her neck and quickly braced her around her stomach, trapping one of her arms. By doing so, his hand slid underneath the hoodie and touched her bare skin. Starfire froze up at the unwanted contact. She squirmed, uneasiness bubbling up in her throat. Blood rushed from her neck to her face, but luckily no one seemed to pay attention to that.

"You're bluffing," One of them said, "You're not going to shoot a young girl in the head."

He took the gun away from her head, tilting his hand so held the gun in a side grip in the typical gangster-killshot fashion. He fired at a criminal, hitting him right in the abdomen. The criminal dropped to the floor, some people approaching him. Most eyes were still on the two.

Starfire gasped as how guiltlessly and quickly he had done the action. How could he hurt someone like that? Robin would _never_ do that. He would never raise a gun against anyone, much less fire it. She felt the gun back on the side of her head.

"I can shoot a man in the stomach, but you don't think I can shoot a girl in the head? The money from the bounty would be nice, but I'd rather not let any of you have it." Red X's voice was cool; composed. She didn't understand _how_, or what kind of conscience he lacked to be so nonchalant. The criminals murmured amongst themselves, but for the most part they backed off. Red X glanced around and made sure they were not acting. They weren't. He waited until they all dispersed to move.

He let go of her and stood up, holding out his hand to her. She tried to stand on her own, however the wound in her leg made it too painful. She heard him sigh as he bent down and slung her arm around his shoulders, gripping her waist as he lifted her to her feet.

"Thank you..." She murmured, wincing as she limped alongside him. She leaned into him, putting more of her weight into him. How was she supposed to be of any use to her friends like _this?_

"I told you, sweetheart, I'm your friend."

And for once, Red X had to admit it was _nice_ looking out for someone else.


	4. need somebody and always

Cyanocitta

As always, thank you, everyone who reviewed and is tagging along this story!

iv. need somebody and always

* * *

"Almost done, sweetheart." He took another drag of his cigarette, glancing at her and her pained face. She didn't deserve to be in pain.

He sighed, "Why don't you hold my hand, honey? I promise Boy Wonder won't have to know." Though he held his hand out to her for her to hold (or squeeze), she instead doubled over, clutching her hands and bringing them to her abdomen.

"Please," She breathed, as he pressed his cigarette to her bleeding wound, "Make the haste."

He was kneeling beside her in an alleyway that was in a better part of town. Since she wanted to hurry to save her friends, they had no time to go back to his apartment. He had a box of cigarettes and gauze, so his makeshift first aid was going to have to work. As gingerly as he could, he brushed away the ashes that fell into her raw wound. He heard her whine in protest, and quickly he breathed in the chemicals of the cigarettes before once again pressing it to her wound.

Cauterizing the wound was the best choice with what he had. He was a thief, not a nurse, and while he was sure Boy Wonder would've had a First Aid Kit, Red X did not. Of course, he had to be mindful of her other electrical burns, but in comparison to this, they were minor. With the cigarettes, he was able to burn her gunshot wound so it ceased bleeding. And with the gauze he had in one of his utility pouches, he gently wrapped her wound. Her leg would be sore and burn as if it were roasting over an open flame, but he wouldn't have to worry about changing her bandaging or becoming lightheaded from blood loss.

Discarding the cigarette, he pulled his mask back over his mouth. This had been twice now that Starfire had been perfectly oblivious to his voice sans the voice enhancer installed in the bottom part of his mask. She didn't recognize his actual voice, and of course, he shouldn't have been too surprised. Only two - maybe three - people he could think of would. And fortunately, he had no desire to show himself to any of them.

"You gonna be okay, kid?" He asked, helping her up.

"Yes. It does the stinging, but I am grateful I am not bleeding," She stated, the two of them hobbling together in the shadows. Starfire did not know what their next plan of action was, but she assumed Red X had a destination in mind. She looked at him and wondered who exactly was behind that mask. The way he handled himself in battle reminded her of a more violent, reckless Robin. He was more aggressive and his movements were not as fluid as Robin's. At the same time, there was something about the thief that reminded her of him. Maybe it was just because he stole his suit, but Starfire's intuition pegged it to be a little more than just that.

Instead of inquiring about it, however, she had a simple vocabulary to supply him with what was on her mind. "Thank you," She said, and before he could respond, she added, "I am most grateful that you are helping me. I do not understand why, but my gratitude is yours."

"Finally warming up to me, huh, cutie?"

She blinked, and then said, "You have just burned my wound close. I suppose that we have done more warming up than we should have?"

"You must have learned English from a rock, sweetheart. I can give you tutoring lessons, one on one. Just you and me," He glanced at her, "Don't you learn languages from kissing? I'm down for that anytime."

She frowned, retorting, "I learned English from Robin! I have told you I am not interested in lip contact with you, and that has not changed." Learned English from Robin, huh? Well, that explained a few things.

"Chuckles can't get mad at a little language lesson, can he?" Almost as an afterthought, he added, "You can teach me your language, _your_ way."

"If you wish to learn the language of my people, you may learn it as Cyborg did - with a board of chalk." Starfire replied icily, fondly remembering when Cyborg wished to learn her language. Aside from her, she assumed that he would know the most. Robin never seemed interested, though that didn't bother her. The grammar was quite complicated!

"Killjoy," He mumbled, as they rounded a corner and were staring right at a lit up building. It was one of the Wayne Enterprises building. Starfire had to shield her eyes; the light was so jarring. There was a line outside of the building that was so long she had no idea where the end was, or where she would go to wait on line. However, people were coming out with supplies. Now she understood why moths were so attracted to lights. People were like that, too.

"We shall ask Mr. Wayne for some supplies?" Starfire asked, but Red X shook his head. Even if Bruce Wayne _was_ in there, he wasn't someone Red X wanted to talk to anytime soon.

"No. I don't think they would let a xenothium thief inside," He stated, and then shrugged a shoulder, "I have another plan."

"This shall aid us in saving our friends?"

"Woah," He stopped, turning his face towards her. She shot back a confused look. Had she said something wrong? "They aren't _my _friends, kid."

"I am sure that after we rescue them they -"

He cut her off, continuing to walk towards the building, "Sorry to disappoint you, but Chuckles will never be my friend."

"I do not understand why you seem to hold an aversion towards Robin in particular," Though it was a statement, her inflection held the attitude of a question. "I believe there is a popular Earth saying that the act of imitating is often perceived as the greatest form of flattening?"

He released a sigh of irritation, replying coolly, "If you like me so much, I guess it's working, huh?" Despite his cool tone, what she had said bothered him. Of course, with his response, Starfire didn't pay attention to that. She instead huffed and was annoyed. His plan to get her to drop the subject, of course.

They hobbled their way around the building, all the way to the rear. The back of the building was empty, but it had what appeared to be a garage. "I'm going to bypass the security, steal a portable generator, and -"

"No!" She shouted, "You shall not steal! We shall wait in line, and then ask for one -"

"Do you think they're going to hand over a generator to us? If they give us one, people will riot until they get one themselves. Everyone knows that Wayne Corporation probably has the only storage of working generators in the city, and one building sure doesn't have enough to power even an eighth of the city," Red X replied, letting go of her and helping her lean against a wall. He then walked over to the garage and lifted a cap covering a number pad.

She watched him hack him into the garage, surprised at how seamlessly he did so. "Wayne Corporations is highly protected, how did you get in so easily?" She asked as the garage hummed open.

"Let's just say this isn't the first time I've been inside a Wayne building," He replied, and then tossed her something. On reflex, she caught it. It was a gun. She nearly dropped it, disliking the feel of it in her hands. It was so _dangerous_. She remembered how it caused her pain, and the feel of it against her head. She shuddered. "I've got to leave you here for a bit, okay? Don't run off without me, cutie."

She nodded as he ran off. Starfire was left with her thoughts, and a gun. She did not like the weapon, but she supposed she would need it to defend herself. She put it in her hoodie pocket and reassured that her hood was safely on her head. There did not appear to be anyone around her, and so Starfire slid down the wall, resting against it. She drew her knees as tightly as she could to her, resting her chin on her arms and ignoring the firearm in her pocket.

She lifted a hand to the collar around her neck, and gave it a tug. How would they figure out a solution to this? Red X already stated he tried to pry it off of her. As the air whipped around, she sighed, burying her head into her knees. She missed her friends. She missed _Robin._ As long as they were together, he had once told her, things would be okay. But they were not together, so they were not okay. She had to admit, she was more at ease now that she had an ally at her side.

Starfire couldn't quite figure Red X out. He wasn't the type of _hero_ she was used to. She was sure he didn't even consider himself a hero. But then why was he helping her? Was it for some ulterior motive? _'No, I shall not be suspicious of the Red X,' _She thought, but despite demanding it, she didn't know if she could cease doubting him. Besides from saying things that were very forward, and from being a thief, he did not give her a reason to mistrust him. There was honor even among thieves.

Her thoughts came to an end as she heard an engine revving. The noise immediately faded, followed by the sound of someone hitting a car and an unpleasant word. She stood slowly, one hand on the wall as she limped over towards the garage. It appeared that Red X was trying to use the generator to power the car, but she did not understand how.

"Are you having trouble?" She asked, watching him try to charge the battery with the generator. She approached him, leaning over him to see if she could understand anything, or be of some help. Unfortunately, she did not.

"I'm surprised the EMP didn't damage any of the Wayne generators," He stated, "Even though this one is working, it's not cooperating like I hoped."

"Beast Boy and Cyborg always hit the station of games when it is not cooperating," She offered, unable to give him any other real advice, "Perhaps that will work as well?"

He gave it a kick, grabbing her arm and jerking her back as it sparked. "It should work now. You're quite the encourager, cutie," He said, hopping into the driver's seat after putting the generator in the backseat once the battery was charged. "Come on, sweetheart, the alarm will go off any second now."

He opened the door and grabbed her waist. She let out a surprised squeal as he pulled her towards him so that she was now sitting in his lap. Her face flushed, her heartbeat accelerating. She didn't let herself absorb the emotion, jolting out of his lap. Quickly, she scrambled off of him and in to the passenger seat.

"Aw," He faked a disappointed tone, "I was just getting comfortable, too." He then put the car into reverse, carefully driving out of the alley and onto the streets. Starfire stayed quiet, for lack of anything else to say, and because she felt so _embarrassed_ that she had gotten as red as she did. He had seen that, hadn't he? Had he heard her heart beating as fast as it did? She didn't even know him, why had she felt that way?

"Do you not think that this automobile will draw the attention of people?" She finally said, noticing that they were the only car on the road.

"I hope it will," He stated, "There has got to be a control panel for your collar in every ship, in case one of them finds you."

His plan didn't sound as foolproof as Robin's may have, but - she bit her lip and shook her head. She had to stop comparing them. Red X _was not_ Robin.

She looked up and noticed that there were lights in the sky. Spaceships hovering right over them. "I believe they have taken notice of us," She said quietly, keeping her head down in case they hadn't seen her face. She tilted the rearview mirror upwards so she did not have to look back to see what the spaceship was doing.

A squishy, sludgy noise emitted from the spaceship as it hovered a few feet above them. Were they trying to communicate with them? She could not speak Schlurch, and she did not think she wanted to learn how to. Then, a burst of static filled her ears as she heard something click.

"Halt, citizens!" It must have been a real-time translating device. She touched her collar again. Blackfire must have been busy making friends on that planet to acquire such high tech technology.

"No thanks," Red X replied, pressing down on the pedal as the car sped forward on the streets. Starfire was surprised that they did not recognize Red X and associate himself with her. Perhaps he had convinced Blackfire -and maybe himself- that he was a villain. But he needed to try harder if he was going to fully convince Starfire. The more time she spent with him, the more she realized he was not truly a bad person after all.

"This is your last warning. We will shoot you down."

He glanced at her, and then commanded, "Take the wheel."

"But I do not know how -" Before she could finish, Red X hopped into the backseat, standing up and facing the spaceship. She grabbed onto the wheel and swerved it so they did not crash. Starfire had seen Cyborg drive the T-Car many times. How hard could it possibly be? She just needed to keep her foot on the pedal - oh, there were two?

Red X must have noted the car decelerating, as he told her, "The right one, sweetheart. It's the right one." He braced himself as she slammed her foot on the pedal, bending down and grabbing the head of the seat so he didn't fall over. Clearly, the alien had no idea what restraint meant. It was exhilarating to be going top speed, but maybe not in this kind of setting. It did get his adrenaline pumping, however.

Then, he turned his attention to the ship overhead and shot an X out of his glove towards them. It burst through the windshield of the ship, cracking it as it trapped one of the green aliens. It absorbed the X and flung it back at him, but he merely jumped over it, acrobatic enough to land on the back of the car, though his footing was a bit wobbly. The X sailed past the car and landed on the road, which Starfire easily drove over.

However, there was a problem. They were about to enter a tunnel, and a sign hung over the entrance that stated that trucks, or anything over a certain amount of feet, could not enter. Considering Red X was tall and standing on top of the car, Starfire did not want him to hit the sign. At the speed they were going at, it would not be wise for him to hit anything at all. But if she could get the spaceship to hit the top of the tunnel, then perhaps it would work to their advantage. The redhead glanced at the rearview mirror to see that Red X was not paying attention to her, or to the road. His attention was on fighting the spaceship.

"I request that you goose, please!" She shouted.

"_What?_ Sweetheart, you really should've kissed someone with better English-"

"Goose!" She repeated, the word escaping her mind. She had it heard a dozen times among the Team when they were fighting someone, but what was it, again? The sign came closer, and Starfire reacted on first instinct. As she slammed on the breaks, the word popped into her mind. "Oh, duck!"

Red X soon flew by her, crashing into the windshield with such force that it reverberated throughout the entire windshield and cracked it all. He bounced off the hood of the car and skidded to what sounded like a painful halt on the street. Above her, the spaceship kept flying. He had done a magnificent job of distracting them, as they now crashed into the tunnel and the spaceship fell, only damaged where it had collided with the wall, to the side of the car.

Red X was not moving. She gasped and jumped out of the car, sprinting over to him. She could not hear his breath through the mask, and his chest did not appear to be moving. Her entire body constricted with fear. What if he was...the girl swallowed a lump in her throat. She couldn't lose him, not when he'd been such a help to her - not when her friends still needed saving.

When she felt for his pulse, however, it was there. She released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. He was alive. "Thank X'hal..." She murmured, sliding her arm underneath his back and lifting him. As his head rolled on her forearm, she scrunched her nose as she felt something wet - and sharp.

The back of his head was pierced with windshield shards. Even against the black of his mask, she could see that he was bleeding. That was not good. Starfire could not possibly treat him with his mask still on.

"Hello?" She called, but he did not respond. The alien Princess frowned and shook him gently. In a lower voice, she whispered, "...Friend, please respond." The thief did not so much as twitch. She knew how much Robin hated the idea of being unmasked, but she could not think of that right now. She sifted through the pockets of his utility belt, remembering he said he had gauze on him. He also had a Xarang that would work as a pair of tweezers if she tried hard enough. After prying out the pieces of glass from his head, she winced as the discoloration at the back of his mask spread.

"I am sorry."

And then, she finally unmasked Red X.


	5. i come alive when i'm falling down

Cyanocitta

iv. i come alive when i'm falling down

* * *

Starfire was staring.

She couldn't help it; she was awestruck. Red X was just a teenager - he couldn't be any older than her or her friends. But, she was awestruck for another reason. She didn't know what caught her attention more; his oddly colored hair, the endearing little spots scattered on his cheeks and nose, or the fact that on the whole, he was awfully handsome. The only things marring his face were a few scars which she gently ran her fingers over. Whatever happened to him had happened with enough time for them to heal. There was a scar on his lower lip, however, that her fingers merely hovered over. They were ragged and looked like they had not been treated properly. What had happened to him?

Grateful he was unconscious, Starfire steadied herself by taking a deep breath, reducing the heat appearing on her cheeks. Gauze in hand, she slowly began to wrap the wound at the back of his head. Most of his hair was black, the exact color of Robin's, but it was not enough to warrant if they were connected somehow. However, the two front pieces of where his part fell were dyed white. Or, at least, she had to assume it was dyed. She did not think such coloring could occur naturally.

She treated him as best as she could, and then maneuvered him so she could hoist him over her shoulder. With some difficulty, she made it back to the car and plopped him into the passenger seat. Starfire made her way over to the crashed ship, her eyes watering at the smoke. She did not see any of the green aliens her sister had summoned here, but she still treaded carefully as she found the hatch, which was broken open. Wishing she had more strength, Starfire was able to fit herself in the space and crawl into the ship.

There was fire and smoke everywhere, but the redheaded Princess wanted to find the control panel to her collar. The fire blazed and nicked at her skin, gnawing at her already sore leg wound. But she was not a quitter. Her people could withstand hostile conditions, and it would be much easier to help Red X - and her friends - with her powers. She stayed low to the ground as the smoke circulated above her head, moving as agile as she could amongst the conflagration.

She found two dead Schlurchs in the cockpit area, and a control panel in front of them. It appeared to simply be the controls for the ship. Dejected, she quickly moved out of the ship. Red X had been wrong. She was sure that if she was with Robin, he would not have made the same risky plan without assurance that it was foolproof. She dropped out of the ship, her hair a bit singed and her bandages burnt, but aside from her leg aching, she felt relatively unscathed. She hadn't been in there too long.

Red X was still unconscious. Her eyes traveled over his face once more as she bit her lip, sitting in the driver's seat. What did she do now? Starfire was unsure of how to start the car, and if she did start it, she was afraid she would be unable to stop it safely.

"Please, friend, I urge you to awaken," She said, unsure of what to call him now that he was unmasked. He was no longer Red X. Starfire did not know who he was, the thought crossing her mind that maybe Robin was aware of his identity. Or perhaps he was just some random teenager off the streets. She could not imagine someone with that kind of scarring had a very pleasant upbringing.

However, she was not eager to stay in the same spot. Blackfire and her newfound friends - Starfire shouldn't call them such, they were more likely people she manipulated - would find her soon if she did not get moving. She recalled a movie the Titans had once watched together, in which a girl had been unconscious after being in a pool, much like how the unmasked Red X was now unconscious. To wake her up, one of the male characters, a 'guard of life', as she recalled, had done the lip contact.

"Ah, yes!" She clapped her hands together, now thinking of the Disney movie marathon they had sat her and a grumpy Raven down for. She could recall that the Beauty whom Slept and Snow White had also woken up via lip contact. If she had her super strength, perhaps she would have settled to awaken him via Tamaranean acupuncture. Of course, she did not have that option. She would have to go with this.

Starfire leaned over to him, placing her lips on his. She felt something odd bubble up in her stomach, but ignored as she placed her hands on his shoulders. She was afraid the feeling would consume her. It certainly painted her cheeks crimson. When she felt his gloved hand touch her cheek, the Princess pulled away. His eyes were blue, much like the sky on a cloudy day. They were dull, as if all the light had been taken from them. The sun wasn't out, and looked like it was going to stay that way.

"So..." She noted how different his voice sounded without the voice changer. "You waited until I was unconscious to improve your English?"

"I-" She started, and then flushed deeper, realizing how close they were. The girl pulled back, "Um..."

"Huh. I see it didn't do much," He stated, his eyes traveling to the singed ends of her hair. "No control panel in there, huh, cutie? Guess the only surefire to get that thing off of you is to infiltrate the tower." She drummed her fingers on her lap, looking away from him. She felt so flustered, and didn't know what to say. She couldn't make heads or tails of this feeling, but convinced herself it was not a positive one.

"Let's go," He said, hopping out of the car, placing his mask over his head. "Driving didn't do us much good." She was startled by his voice changing, taking his hand when he walked over to her and helped her out of the car. She walked beside him in silence, assuming he knew where to go.

"Cat got your tongue, cutie?"

She glanced at him, confused. "A feline is not in my mouth."

He cleared his throat, "Right."

Starfire made sure to keep her face in the shade of her hood, keeping alert. There were few people skittering about the streets, and luckily this was an area of the city where they had not gotten much exposure. However, she still wanted to be careful. Someone could see Red X and associate him with her.

"Red X," She finally broke the silence, unable to keep all of her questions in her mind, "I wish to..." She trailed off, unsure of how to word it.

"Get to know me?" He finished for her, glancing at her surprised expression. "You didn't think I noticed you glancing at me every five seconds, sweetheart?"

Once more, she flushed. Had she really been looking at him like that? Starfire hadn't even noticed. It was true that when she looked at him, she kept imagining his face underneath the mask. And those eyes, those hallow eyes that had such a look of _desolation_. She couldn't get them out of her head. Who was he, and why was he hiding? More importantly, _what_ was he hiding? Though she did not have Raven's psychic intuition, even she trusted her gut that there was a story behind him.

"Please do not misunderstand my intentions," She clarified quickly, "I believe we will be able to cooperate and save my friends more quickly if I can trust you."

He snickered, "Wow, I guess all I needed to take you out on a date was show you my face, huh? Does that mean I am better looking than _Robin?_"

She shot him a glare, but her expression softened when she realized she could not answer him. "I do not know. I have never seen Robin's face."

"So you don't know his name, then, either?" She shook her head. He muttered, "What a dick." His tone sounded a bit lighter, as if he was making a joke. But, she didn't get it.

"I assume that is a bad word, is it not?" She asked, balling her fists up and wishing she could shoot him with a starbolt.

"Save your anger for your sister and her alien friends," He stated, which made her huff and shove her fists inside her hoodie pocket. He was right, of course, which infuriated her even more. "But while the offer is still open, I think our date will go fine, kid."

"We shall _not_ be doing any sort of activity that would link us as friends whom are not merely friends!"

"Which is why you kissed me, huh?" He glanced at her, "Come on, cutie, don't tell me you don't know what that means on _Earth._"

They were now approaching a strip mall that was beyond abandoned - it was _destroyed. _All of the buildings had been broken into by desperate people who needed to steal clothing, food, or other supplies. The letters above the store had all fallen to the ground, broken and some stolen. Starfire felt horribly guilty, but she supposed there really was no other honest way to survive - at least, not with Red X as a companion.

With a frustrated sigh, she replied, "I believed the lip contact to be a working method of awakening you. It is featured prominently in your media and television, and I did not know what else to do without harming you further. Besides, you are awake now, so I was not wrong." Her face was hot, and Red X was loving every minute of it.

"I'm sure Chuckles is going to be _thrilled_ when he hears about his girlfriend kissing his arch rival," He said, his voice full of mirth. Starfire was about to reply, but they approached a bakery that had seen much better days. Like the other buildings, the windows were all shattered, and the tables inside were flipped over. A tornado of desperation had certainly made its' havoc known here.

"Hold on, sweetheart, let me get the door for you." He held out an arm protectively in front of her as he kicked more glass in from the windows. When there was just enough space for him to go through without a huge chance of getting pierced, he jumped through the window. Once inside, he kicked the door down. "Look how crowded it is, honey. I don't think we're going to find a spot." He offered his hand for her to take, but she did not remove her hands from her pocket.

"It would be much appreciated if you were to stop with the unpleasant names," Starfire muttered darkly as Red X scanned the condition of the booths. Though they were all ripped up - and some missing - he was able to find one that was in decent condition. He gestured for her to sit down, appearing to have not heard her (or more likely, ignored her), and swiftly moved behind the counter. He returned a moment later with assorted baked goods.

She wasn't surprised to see that he had grabbed a loaf of bread for himself. He also had an assortment of other goods she did not know the name of, but was willing to try. "I do not understand how you do not tire of bread. Surely you have had it with the delicious Earth beverage known as mustard?"

"You know, cutie, when it's not a _date_ we don't get to play twenty questions," He said coyly, taking his mask off and taking a bite of a scone. Starfire was rigid, staring right at his features as he swallowed. He'd been so secretive about his identity before, she was surprised he would so quickly take off his mask in front of her. The Princess flinched when his eyes locked with hers. She didn't look away, though there was something about his gaze that unsettled her. Perhaps it was because his eyes lacked a spark of life.

She revolved back into reality, realizing he was waiting on her response. Though there was a lack of a smile on his face, he had a heavily amused expression splashed across it. The girl turned crimson as she lowered her face, hurriedly eating a scone as if that would hide her embarrassment. She had to stop doing that!

"Fine," She agreed with a sigh, "You may call it whatever you wish. But I insist that this is not a romantic meeting between two people of the opposite gender."

"Judging by the look on your face, kid, you must have more than twenty questions on your mind," He stated, and then shrugged a shoulder, "Fire away."

"You shall tell the truth?"

"Whatever will make us 'cooperate' better," He responded, splaying his hands defensively when she glared at him. "Your words, not mine, cutie. I don't have anything to gain by lying to you, sweetheart."

"Very well," She finished her scone and studied him as he ripped off a piece of bread. "Who are you?"

He rose an eyebrow. "Red X," He replied simply, and then added with a shrug, "A xenothium thief who's just looking out for number one." Well, now he was looking out for a cute alien Princess, too. But he decided to forego that little detail.

"I believe you said you were going to be honest," She snapped, crossing her arms.

"If I'm not Red X, then I sure don't know who the guy is," Was his cool response.

Sure, he wasn't _exactly _lying, but he was being difficult. She took a deep breath and decided to be more clear, "What is your name?"

"Red -"

"I am _not_ looking at a masked thief," She stated, her tone low and holding sincerity, "I am looking at a friend with odd hair and spots on his face. And I am asking what his parents have named him." He stared at her, surprised at her response. A moment of silence crossed between them, but Starfire did not back down from his gaze this time.

"Jason," He answered, looking at the table as he tore off another piece of bread, "Jason Todd."

She wanted to be surprised - to jump up and shout, _You are Jason Todd!_ She wished that the revelation of his name was the last puzzle piece to his identity, but it was not. The name rang no bells to her. She didn't recognize the name, and did not connect it to his face. But he was not lying.

"They're called freckles, by the way," He added, gesturing to his face, "The tiny dots on my face. I tried to get rid of them along with my red hair, but they're a little more stubborn."

She was miffed by his statement about his hair, but ignored it and commented, "I think they are quite cute! I have not seen many Earthlings with these 'freckles'. How many do you possess?"

Her question caught him off guard. "I...that's not something you normally count, cutie."

"Red-"

"You can call me Jason," He interjected, "Unless I have the mask on. Just because you don't recognize me doesn't mean your friends are in the same basket."

"Jason," She tried out his name. Her voice made his name sound full of goodness. He loved it, nodding in approval. "Why are you the Red X? Why did you steal the suit from Robin?"

"Firstly, for Batman's prodigy, he should have known better than to leave _that_ kind of security around a xenothium powered suit. His password wasn't hard to guess, either," Jason replied, and then added, "Secondly, it's a nice middle finger right to Chuckles. It's amusing to see him get an identity crisis about something so small."

She balled her fists up, accidentally crushing a cookie in her grip, "It is _not_ amusing for Robin to be in a crisis. And it is _not_ small. You are using his technology to do terrible things!"

He scoffed, "Oh, really?" He pulled out a cigarette from his utility belt and lit it. He leaned forward and blew a puff in her face, "What have I done that was so _terrible_?"

Though he was still a villain that should be in jail for theft, in comparison to Slade or X'hal forbid _Trigon_, he was rather mild. He had never killed or severely hurt anyone, and she knew that. She glanced up at the cigarette, believing it to be bad for his health. But she did not do anything.

Luckily – or maybe unfortunately – her stomach seemed to resonate with the silence hanging between them. A dark blush crossed her features as she realized she was still hungry. Though Tamaraneans' nine stomachs were meant to last in times of a famine, it did not mean she hadn't gotten accustomed to glorious Earth good. She let out a small squeal of embarrassment, her hands crossing her stomach as Jason looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

"I didn't know Tamaraneans had that kind of appetite," He said, though he knew that she hadn't eaten anything for the past day. She stood from the booth and excused herself. While she was rummaging for whatever looked appetizing, Jason thought about the alien Princess. She hadn't been very friendly to him to start, but he supposed that was an offshoot of having a psycho sister come back after having been expelled to whatever dark, cosmic dredges. Now she seemed a bit warmer, and her light shone. And that kiss…Jason touched his lips, remembering her warmth. Things would always go up and up for Starfire. While there he was, at the bottom. He finished his cigarette with that thought, about to go look for her. Could she really have gotten _lost?_

The moment he was about to stand was the one she came back. She was rather happy when she returned. She had a carton of ice cream and came back with two spoons. He didn't have much of an appetite, but he wouldn't pass on sharing dessert with her. She may not have thought of it much as a date, but when she told Robin about it – and Jason didn't doubt that she would, in that innocent way of hers – he would pass out and go looking for blood. That was, until, she turned the carton around with a bright smile on her face.

The front of the carton was decorated beautifully, with swirly pastel words that read, _'__Ice cream so sweet you will smile!'_ What elicited a negative reaction from him was the picture of a clown's face next to those words. He didn't even think before he lost his composure and swiped the carton off of the table angrily. The sudden anger splashed across his features made her flinch. What had she done wrong?

He hadn't yelled, or swore, but even still he wanted to step on that carton and crush it. He inhaled deeply, immediately regretting his burst of anger. Just when he was getting her to trust him, too. But she didn't look scared. She was worried. "Sorry, kid," He mumbled, "I _hate_ clowns."

"Do not apologize. I am the one who is sorry; I did not know," Though Starfire would have had no way of knowing, this somehow embarrassed her. "I had only wanted to see you smile." She disliked his hallow eyes, and had figured a smile would light them up. He was her friend, and she would do anything to see a friend happy. But she had been sorely mistaking, and now she felt dumb for even trying to lighten him up.

_I had only wanted to see you smile._ The words replayed in his head. He felt like he couldn't appreciate them properly, because he had never heard them spoken. The person who he had looked to as a father had been a bit too gruff for any sort of compassionate comment. The words were genuine, though, and that appalled him. She wanted to see him happy, and she meant it. He wasn't sure how to respond to that, and telling her the truth would make him feel pathetic. The one girl who seemed to care was a clueless alien dating his rival.

Starfire was unused to his silence. He normally had a silver-tongued quip at the ready, but for the second time of the day, she had thrown him off balance. She realized that she was talking to Jason Todd, a scarred young man she knew next to nothing about, and not to poised Red X.

She wouldn't give up, however. He had to like _something_, if not clowns. "If you do not like the clowns, then what do you like?"

He didn't even need to think about the answer.

"You."

* * *

An author's note at the bottom this time!

Thank you all for your reviews! I appreciate every one of them. I just wanted to say, before the well-versed DC fans come marching in, that I am well aware that not many - if any - incarnations of Jason Todd have ever had freckles. However, it was always my personal headcanon that he had them, and I just think he would be really super cute with them!


	6. tug of life

Cyanocitta

vi. the tug of life

* * *

The alien Princess was unsure of what would be the best response. He liked her, and by the sincerity in his voice, she knew he meant it. But she loved Robin, and she barely knew him - but at the same time, she was fascinated with him. Physical attractiveness aside, she knew he had quite a story to tell, and Starfire desperately wanted to hear it. More than anything, she knew she could call him a _friend._

His voice broke her thoughts. "What about you, sweetheart?"

She glanced nervously up at him, drumming her hands on her lap. She should not have felt nervous around him, but she did anyway. This was not a date, as she had insisted, yet she could not help but feel that she was betraying Robin in some way. But Starfire had no choice, lest she be alone.

"I...very much like the beverage mustard," She started, and then settled into her nerves as she felt slightly more comfortable, "I have a pet named Silkie, and he is the cutest little bumgorf! I like this city; I like this planet. It is much different from Tamaran." She knew what he wanted her to say, but instead she added, "I like my friends. I like Robin."

"And me?" He asked with a playful tone, tipping his head to the side as he watched her struggle with a response.

"...Yes, you are my friend. And I may call you an ally, but I have just learned your name, and I do not know much about you!" She blurted out, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. He leaned across the table and cupped his hand on her cheek. She looked at him, and before she knew it, she had leaned in towards him as well. What was she doing? This was the worst time to let her emotions get the best of her. But under his gaze, something in her melted.

"Last time, _you_ kissed _me_. Let me return the favor, cutie."

And then suddenly, the whole moment was gone when someone appeared in the doorway of the destroyed bakery.

"_Starfire?!_"

She lurched back into her seat as her name echoed throughout the building. She would recognize that voice anywhere. The silhouette nailed it for her - she could see the outline of a quiver.

"Speedy?! I am most overjoyed to see you!" A familiar face made her ecstatic; she jumped towards him and nearly bowled him over with a hug.

_'Great,'_ Jason thought dully, quickly pulling on his mask, _'We've got ourselves a third wheel.' _Just when he'd been getting somewhere, too. Life was never easy.

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you got out safe," The newcomer commented, flushing lightly as the redheaded Princess released him. "You and your...uh," He glanced at Red X, who waved at him, "...Friend were kind of easy to spot, especially with the car. So I followed you guys, and ended up here."

"Red X, please, meet Speedy. Speedy, this is Red X," She introduced the two cordially, hoping they would shake hands. They did not.

"Why are you teaming up with a xenothium thief, Star?" Speedy asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"He is not just a thief," She defended him before he could speak, "He is my friend, as you are. Do you not think we should gather as many allies as possible?"

"Are you sure we can trust him?" He asked, crossing his arms and suspiciously glancing at Red X, who returned the favor.

She stepped in between the staring contest of the two, "We shall not be fighting! We have enough enemies outside."

"The cutie's right, we're not enemies," Red X agreed, and then asked, "How did you escape from the Tower?"

"I...didn't. I was never in the tower," Speedy said, and then explained, "I was with Green Arrow on a mission, so I missed this whole fiasco. I got the message on my T-Comm too late, and by the time I got here, there were spaceships and the blackout chaos had already started." Starfire remembered Raven had told them that Speedy had been out on a mission, and though this was almost a little too good to be true, she was happy for the fortuitous change in events.

"Lucky break," Red X muttered. The archer agreed with a silent nod.

"Speedy, you would not happen to know of a method to remove this from my neck?" The girl asked, pulling down the hood collar to reveal her inhibitor collar.

"I could try to short-circuit it with my one of my arrows," He offered, pulling an arrow out of his quiver.

"No," Red X answered for her, "That's too dangerous. Besides, generating electricity in this black-out was hard enough with the best technology. We need to go in there and find the control panel for her collar and shut it off. Then we can save the rest of the Titans."

"That's suicide!" Speedy exclaimed, "The tower is crawling with security. Not to mention Starfire's crazy sister is flying around."

"So then what's your bright idea, Sidekick?"

"Don't call me that," Speedy snapped hastily. Even if it was true, he didn't want to hear it from some _criminal._

"Please do not have anger, Speedy. Red X is rather fond of nicknames," Starfire wrung her hands nervously, beginning to think that Speedy showing up was not so good at all as he sat down next to her, "I believe it is a form of flattery?"

"I only mean it when I'm talking to _you,_ cutie."

"Right," Speedy cleared his throat and then said, "Well, if we're going to infiltrate the Tower, we're going to need a plan."

"I believe that the three of us shall be a great team!" Starfire exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Jason rolled his eyes underneath the mask. For a badass fighter Princess, she could be so _naïve._ But that innocence made her different; she had a light inside of her that had been snuffed out of most people. He could see it. He just couldn't touch it.

"If we are going to be a _team_," Speedy cleared his throat, the word boiling his throat as he swallowed, "Then we need a leader."

Red X had no doubts that he could craft a plan. But considering that his last one failed, and the fact that he was not trusted, made him reconsider. He didn't mind someone else playing the leader role, even though he was all too ready to dive into that headfirst. He didn't want to give up a shot at being the leader to their ragtag group, but at the same time he knew he wasn't used to working alongside people.

"Fine. My vote's for you, Sidekick," Red X said, after a moment of contemplation. The two redheads looked at him in surprise.

"My name's not - ugh - wait, what? Really?"

"I am in surprise as well," Starfire added, "I was not aware we were voting for leader, but I would have figured you would vote for me."

Red X chose his words carefully, sensing the disappointment in Starfire's voice. "Sweetheart, I would vote for you any other time. But I care about you too much for you to plot yourself inside the Tower. Wouldn't that be your plan?"

"Yes, I wish to go in there and save my friends!" The alien nodded, not seeing the fault.

"Rushing in to save people can get you killed," Was his response. He knew that the hard way.

"Right," Speedy cleared his throat, "Well uh, I guess that makes me leader if we're going by majority rule. Starfire, we could really use your knowledge about your sister and her alien friends. But first, we're going to need a map of the Titans Tower. Do you think you can draw something that's accurate?"

"Yes, I shall look for some paper and a writing utensil," She nodded, and then disappeared behind the counter.

The archer stared at the thief for a moment, before continuing with his plan, "I can pick off the guards and any security on the outside. When Star makes the layout, we can assign numbers to the areas with windows. I can take out guards that I can see from the outside. It would be better if we had communication devices, but nothing will work."

"I stole a generator from Wayne Enterprises. It's how I got the car to start. Maybe we can charge some batteries and get a line to work," Red X stated, and then finished Speedy's plan by saying, "So I'll be going inside."

"I know Robin could do it," Speedy said, and shrugged a shoulder, "Aren't you just a cheap knockoff of him, anyway?"

Red X growled, lurching forward and grabbing onto the redhead's collar. "I'm not a _cheap knockoff_ of anyone, including Boy Wonder. Got it, kid?" He released Speedy, who merely rose an eyebrow.

"Well, I guess we'll see how you do in action. From what Robin told me, it's powered by xenothium, so you must have some cool gadgets up your sleeve," The redhead smirked and added, "I can beat Robin, and I bet I can beat you."

Though those were fighting words, Red X was mindful of the rustling noise that was Starfire in the back. She wouldn't like it if they fought, and he knew the blame would end up getting pinned on him. He had always been told he was too aggressive. But they were going to be a team. Things could go awry otherwise. So, instead of taking the bait, he took a different direction, "What will you have Starfire do?"

"She can stay with me until you find the controls for her inhibitor collar. That's your top priority once inside the tower. Once that gets off of her, we can rendezvous with you inside. Then we just have to focus on the aliens and rescuing the Titans," Speedy finalized, and though Red X didn't like it, it was better than having the girl go with him and get hurt. She still wasn't in the best condition.

"I shall be there in a moment, friends," Starfire's voice was dulled by the wall separating them. "I am still on the search for paper and pen!"

Speedy drummed his fingers on the table, listening to the rustling as Starfire sifted through the kitchen in the back. There had to be something around - the bakery was not _completely_ destroyed. The archer looked at Red X and narrowed his eyes.

"You want to play twenty questions, too?" Red X crossed his arms, "Seems like I'm a popular guy today. Sorry, but I'm only accepting dates from one person right now."

"I only have _one_ question. But you know," Speedy's voice lowered, "Robin's going to tie you into a knot when he finds out you're googly eyes over his girlfriend."

"Chuckles doesn't scare me," Red X scoffed, rolling his eyes at the threat. The thief added, "Besides, if it wasn't for me, she'd be dead." Speedy sized him up, but ended up letting him off the hook about Starfire. It's not like there was much he could do about it, anyway.

"So why are you helping the heroes, anyway?"

Red X looked him square in the eye and said, "Heroes don't deserve to be abandoned."

Speedy gave him a suspicious look, but Red X did not back down from their stare down. Eventually, the archer relaxed, and broke eye contact. Though it didn't seem he liked his response, Speedy seemed to accept it.

"So..."

"I thought you said you only had one question, kid."

The sidekick cleared his throat and looked back at the thief, "Well, I'm still not convinced you're entirely on our side, Red. And, as useful as Starfire is with her powers, she's a dead weight without them." Red X twitched, about to jump to her defense, but knew that Speedy was right. This was going to be a risky mission, and especially because none of them were used to fighting together. There was a distinct lack of trust which he didn't blame the archer for having.

"So you want to wait before we launch our attack?" He asked, the chosen leader nodding and grinning as he crossed his arms.

"I think it's time for some combat practice. I want to see what you've got, Red." Now _that_ were some fighting words he could respond to.

Beneath the mask, Red X's eyes flickered at the idea of some training practice with someone who was equally as skilled as the Boy Wonder.

"You're on, Sidekick."

* * *

Another author's note at the bottom! I'm so sorry this chapter is short and took so long to pump out. But now I think it might be clear to some people where I'm heading with this story XD I responded to most of the reviews, but some of them are guest ones, and I have to respond on here. Sorry in advance!

Azlynn: Omgsh, I must have read your review like a dozen times haha! I haven't been on the website in awhile, but I assumed that my chapters were sort of long. (They seem long to me LOL) Do you have any recommendations of how many words should be in an average chapter? I don't want them to be too long or too short u wu And, I really really hope this doesn't completely contradict TT canon. If not...well, I guess this'll have to be an AU LOL Thank you so much, you had such an amazing and lovely review!


	7. parade before the pain

Cyanocitta

Thank you all SO much for the lovely, lovely reviews! Ahhh, thank you all!

vii. parade before the pain

* * *

"Not like that," Red X had his hand over hers, "When you punch, you should aim right here." He placed her fist on his chest, "Or, if you're fighting a human, right here." He gestured to his upper arm, "Right _here_ is where one muscle ends and another connects, so if you hit someone there, it'll be painful."

"I was not aware that so much thought should go into a simple punch!" Starfire exclaimed, but nodded as Red X jumped out of her way. They were in a now-abandoned parking lot, and he hid himself in the shadows as he watched the two spar. They had thought it would be a good idea to teach Starfire how to conventionally fight in a worst-case scenario – her not getting her powers back. While they did so, Red X was working on the T-Comms Speedy and Starfire had given him; using the generator he had stolen to make them work properly.

"Ugh," She groaned as Speedy easily deflected her with just his bow. (A fake one, of course, he didn't want this actual bow to get broken!) He grinned at her, dropping his bow and then she stepped forward, curled her hand into a fist, and smacked him in the arm – right where Red X had shown her.

"Ow!" He cried, stumbling back as she continued her assault. This had Red X's attention, and he glanced up to see Starfire pushing him back. It looked like she needed some help, as Speedy regained his poise and held his bow up to block her fist. He knew Speedy was concentrated on formulating a counter-attack for Starfire, so he quickly maneuvered around a car to remain hidden. Red X deftly jumped on top of the car, seeing the archer knock the Princess to the ground. Her eyes flicked up to the thief, but he just pressed his finger to his lips.

It seemed she took her cue to be oblivious a bit too far, as she let out a dramatic, "Oh, I do not wish to lose!"

It was then that he descended, knocking Speedy way with a sidekick to the head. Red X landed, and then offered a hand to Starfire. She smiled at him, and took his hand, helping herself up. She had been so warm around him ever since he had helped protect her from those criminals, and he wasn't quite sure why.

She then held up both her hands to him, eyes closed with a bright smile on her face. She seemed pretty triumphant. When he did nothing, she chirped, "Friend, I would like to request the double high five that is most common on your planet!"

"…I don't do high fives, kid," He said, which caused her expression to fall as she looked at him. He instantly felt terrible, so he held out his fist instead. "Fist bumps only, sweetheart." She clapped her hands excitedly, completely missing the point and high-fiving his fist instead. She was so _cute._ He couldn't imagine anyone disliking her.

"Hey!" Speedy approached them both, scratching his head. "What gives?"

"I'm surprised Green Arrow's prodigy would leave himself unprepared and open," Red X replied, crossing his arms and saying, "You have to be ready for anything, kid."

Speedy growled, narrowing his eyes at the black-clad criminal, "Ugh, I'm not a kid! Where do you get off being such a condescending jerk, anyway?"

"Perhaps," Starfire's voice broke the tension as the two males snapped their heads towards her, "You can solve the male aggression in the air with a practice battle?" She had seen this once before when the team had just formed; when Robin and Cyborg had a disagreement and Cyborg left the team briefly. It hadn't been pleasant, and she certainly didn't want their makeshift team falling apart when they all had just agreed to work together!

The two males nodded, and then walked a few paces apart from each other. The redheaded alien stood in the middle.

"I advise that you both should ready your marks," She said, clearing her throat and stepped back, "Get to the set…and go!" She jumped on top of the car, watching intently as Speedy unleashed a volley of arrows at Red X. The thief used his wristblade in the shape of an X to fend off the arrows, and waited patiently until Speedy no longer had anything left in his quiver.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to put all your eggs in one basket, kid?" The thief asked with a smirk, retracting the wristblade and running towards the archer, who in turn smirked.

"No, but she _did_ tell me not to put all my arrows in one quiver!" He responded smartly, an arrow sliding out of his sleeve as Red X approached – too surprised to dodge as Speedy spun the arrow around his hand and stuck it to the thief's side. A very mild shock emitted from it, which knocked the black-clad teen off course. Using the thief's temporary imbalance, Speedy grabbed Red X's wrist and twisted it in such a way that the boy stayed on his knees.

"Oh!" Starfire jumped from her seat, hand over her mouth as she looked on the scene with worry. She was not immune to the fact that they were still getting used to each other, and she was afraid she had just presented them with an opportunity to injure one another.

However, Red X was able to retaliate with a punch aimed at Speedy's exposed ribcage. With an oof, the archer let go, pulled into a chokehold by the thief. The sidekick knew what to do to escape it, however. He grabbed the crook of Red X's elbow, slightly bending and stepping behind the leg that was on the side he was chokeholding him so that their calves were touching. In this position, he was able to turn 180 degrees and knock Red X down to the floor. The thief then lifted both feet to kick Speedy in the abdomen, causing him to stumble back as Red X rolled back to his feet, steadily standing. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Starfire clasping her hands and looking right at him.

"Star," Speedy noted Starfire as well, "You're not supposed to be rooting for anyone! That's biased judgment! Besides, he's the bad guy!"

"He is not a bad guy, Speedy, I implore you to open your eyes and think of him as a friend!"

"Kids, I'm standing right here. Are you forfeiting or what?" Red X asked, to have Speedy whip around to face the thief's fist. The archer was knocked back, causing Red X to cross his arms and state, "Didn't I tell you to always be prepared?"

The archer swung his bow towards him, causing Red X to block it. Speedy then planted a foot in the thief's stomach and propelled him backwards, sweeping him to make him land on his back. Speedy offered his hand, and because Red X knew that Starfire was watching, he took it. But...he pulled Speedy down towards him, determined not to lose so easily. Not when Starfire was so avidly watching, absorbing their combat techniques. Red X pulled his knee up sharply so that it hit Speedy's chin, rolling out of the way as the archer fell to the ground.

"Hey," Speedy groaned as he sat up, glaring at Red X, "That was low!"

"How many times do I need to tell you, kid," The thief huffed, "You should always be _prepared._"

"I've always got my arsenal stocked, Red," Speedy grinned, running his opponent as he pulled another arrow from his sleeve, notched it, and fired it. Red X ducked, and it sailed over his head. However, he felt a sudden weight on both of his shoulders. Speedy had predicted his duck and had used that opportunity to jump on him. But unlike Speedy, Red X was always prepared - and had planned a counterattack. The black-clad quasi-hero punched one of Speedy's knees, which caused him to buckle. Red X also buckled as the pressure increased, but he did not falter. He reached up and grabbed Speedy's elbows, which were dangling just in range, and threw the Titan off of him. Speedy slid into the ground, but Red X decided to show sportsmanship despite his earlier warning of preparedness.

So, he reached out a hand to the archer, who rose an eyebrow. He didn't take his hand, but did end up grabbing Red X's shoulder to balance himself as he stood. "Geez, Red, who taught you how to fight like that?" Speedy laughed as he joked, "_Batman?_ Seriously, it's like I'm fighting a meaner Robin!"

"Meaner..." Red X repeated what he said, and then crossed his arms, "Not a cheap knockoff?"

"Nah," Speedy changed his mind, shrugging a shoulder. "You're alright...for a villain, I mean." Red X would've offered his own compliment, something about how Speedy wasn't being a sore loser - which was something that greatly surprised him. But he kept his mouth shut for the sake of not doing anything out of character. He _was_ still a villain, just like Speedy said. And their Princess was striding towards them, happy that their practice battle had come to an end.

Starfire walked over to them, declaring, "Friends, I do wish to participate in the activity known as group embracing!" She was rather happy that the aggression that hung between them seemed to have dissipated.

Speedy and Red X exchanged glances before answering at once, "No."

"Besides," Speedy added, "I don't feel like I really lost. I know it was a practice battle, but you didn't use any of your gadgets, so I didn't go all out on you, either." Starfire and Speedy both looked at him quizzically, until he finally answered them.

"I'm almost run dry," He said, and explained to Speedy, "I don't know if Chuckles informed you, but this suit is run on xenothium."

"What?!" Speedy's eyes nearly bulged out of his head, "You're kidding! Robin would never -"

"Friend, please," The memory obviously distressed Starfire, "You do not have any idea the lengths Robin would go to in order to achieve justice."

Speedy shook his head, muttering, "What was Robin _thinking_ when he made that suit?" And then, to Red X, "Red, don't you know how dangerous xenothium is?"

"Yes, obviously," Red X sighed, "I was thinking of stealing some tonight. There will be no security there anyway, but I'll need to be stocked up."

Speedy sighed, "Playing the thief card isn't my thing, but…"

"You're coming along?" Red X asked, raising an eyebrow, "Wow, never knew you would so easily cave your hero duties, Sidekick."

"You both cannot be serious!" Starfire exclaimed, but Speedy nodded.

"If Red X has all his gadgets, we'll be able to save the rest of the Titans with a better chance of success. This will be our only shot we get at this, everything needs to go down perfectly."

"But -"

"Look, Star," Speedy sighed, "I know that Red X being Robin's technology and we're using it to steal seems bad, but would you rather risk his suit malfunctioning and letting our counter-attack fail?"

"Now I'm liking the way you're thinking, Sidekick," Red X said, and then turned to Starfire and appeased her worries, "Don't worry, cutie, xenothium will be the only thing I'm after. Or don't you trust me?"

Starfire bit her lip, now conflicted with her answer. Sure, they hadn't exactly been law-abiding citizens since her sister swept in, but neither had any other citizen of Jump. Finally, she took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes…but, Speedy, Red X…I have more information to share with you."

"You were leaving information out back at the bakery? That's cold, cutie."

"I do not know if this shall help either of you, but perhaps…if you are both set on stealing -" The word was bitter in her mouth, and a part of her was still very adamant about convincing them otherwise – "—xenothium, then perhaps you can look for this as well."

The two heroes glanced at each other, before looking back at Starfire. "I'm listening."

She smiled. Somehow, she knew that the two would end up getting along just fine.

* * *

It had been a long two days of gathering resources – such as xenothium, sharing knowledge and attempting to work together. Starfire and Speedy both knew by experience that rushing into something this dangerous without practicing teamwork would be suicide. Though they were now acquainted with all of Red X's gadgets, that didn't bother him. Robin knew the suit better than anyone, and Red X could still give _him_ a thrashing.

Starfire had been so anxious about waiting that long, but it had to be done. Going in there unprepared would only lead to them being captured. They had one shot at this, and they couldn't screw it up. On the bright side, however, Speedy and Red X _seemed_ to be getting along – when they had come back from stealing xenothium, the two seemed a bit more friendly with one another. She did not know what had transpired in there, but was happy the two bonded.

But now, it was gametime. Everything was set in motion. They had managed to siphon off a part of Blackfire's force with an actress they hired to portray Starfire, and Red X and Speedy had managed to pick off the rest of the security littering the outside. The black-clad thief had entered the building, and now all she could do was sit and wait in worry. Was he okay in there? Had he encountered Blackfire?

The redheaded Princess sat behind a few rocks just outside the tower, as Speedy stood atop of them and notched another arrow. They only had two communicators to break down into battery-charged walkie-talkies, and they had decided that Starfire and Speedy could share, for she didn't need one. She didn't think she needed one either; it was for the purpose of telling Speedy how many enemies were in what section of the tower. It required moving around a bit so he could hit the targets – and having arrows that could vibrate and break the glass - but it was nothing that he couldn't do.

Her hand absently ran across Red X's utility belt. He had given it to her, insisting that she would need it in case he couldn't find the off switch for her power collar. Of course, he had taken some gadgets with him, but she had some pretty cool stuff in there. Not that she knew how to use most of it. It was underneath her hoodie - or, well, one of his hoodies. He'd been lending her his clothing, and she had been spending so much time in his home and in his clothes that she was rather used to the smell of smoke. She disliked it when she saw him smoke, but was unsure of how to approach him about the matter.

Red X had very kindly let Speedy use his apartment as well, so the presence of Green Arrow's sidekick had made things difficult. She had taken the couch, Red X his own room, and Speedy slept on the floor. She would have suggested a movie night, but none of them even slept - too worried about all the possibilities of what could go wrong. Speedy seemed to appreciate Red X's hospitality, and Starfire had discovered that they were both avid readers. She hadn't expected that out of either of them, and had been lost when they were discussing symbolism in _Lord of the Flies._ Since the red-clad Titan had been around, however, Starfire hadn't gotten the opportunity to ask Jason anything about his life. She desperately wanted to know more about her new friend, but she hadn't seen his face - not once since Speedy had joined them. She wondered if that meant Speedy knew who Jason Todd was.

A fizz of static broke her out of her reminiscing. The communicators turned out not to be the most reliable technology, but they had generally worked during the few test runs.

"Is he alright?" She asked, worried for him. If Blackfire and her goons could capture the Titans, then surely they would have no trouble with a lone thief. _'No, he is not_ _alone,_' Starfire thought, biting her lip.

"Red, coordinates? Over." Speedy asked, only to clench his teeth and wince as spark came out of the communicator. "What? There's too much static - I can't -"

Anxiety spiked in her as she jumped up and grabbed the makeshift walkie-talkie from the archer. "Red X! Friend, please respond!" She pressed her ear to the device as she tried to make out what he was saying.

"...Nd...fire...ll...over," Was all that came through. She looked at Speedy, her face crestfallen as she thought of him being in trouble.

"I'm sure it's not him in trouble," Speedy said reassuringly, "The battery is just probably dying! Or maybe he knocked it around, or something."

The message came through again, this time more urgent. All that could be heard was, "Found...Blackfire..."

The masked hero laughed nervously, "Well...maybe it _is_ him in trouble."


	8. the places that scare you

Cyanocitta

Hello again everyone! This is a really action-y chapter, so if you're not interested in long battle scenes, feel free to skim =) Thank you once again for all the lovely reviews!

viii. the places that scare you

* * *

"Found Blackfire. Will engage, over," Red X repeated for the third time, hitting the communicator as if violence would get the message across. Well, it worked for the car. The plan had been proceeding smoothly so far; the Schlurchs were no physical threat to him at all. With the exception that the ooze from the aliens made most hallways a glorified slip'n slide, bypassing them and letting Speedy take care of them was all too easy. Well, with the exception that they were equipped with laser guns and had melted through the right arm on his suit. So, despite the burn on his arm, the Schlurchs hadn't been too difficult. Especially with his suit's teleportation properties. Disabling security cameras hadn't been too hard; he'd had plenty of time to memorize Starfire's blueprint of the Tower - though it hadn't been exact.

But he finally found her. Starfire's sister. As he hid behind the wall, hearing her speak to what was another alien, he glanced around the wall to see that her back was facing him. In her hand, she had what he knew to be Starfire's collar controls. That had to be the only control - he'd been on the lookout for odd technology, and had checked everywhere except for the living room. He hadn't made his way up there. No doubt that was where the Titans were being held. But, he had someone in his way.

He waited until he heard their conversation came to a stop. He couldn't understand what they were saying, anyway. He assumed they were speaking Tamaranean. If the walkie-talkie communicator was more reliable, he might try getting a live translation from Starfire. He took a deep breath, ready to spring into action. It would only be a matter of time before they found out that they were being infiltrated.

Though some of his gadgets he had left with Starfire, he had another makeshift utility belt with the most important ones. With these and his own fighting expertise, he knew he could handle Blackfire. He had one advantage over her, though. He grinned underneath his mask when the room flashed red; being a result of Blackfire sneezing. She, like her sister, was allergic to metallic chromium. And guess who had fitted himself with a glove reinforced with just enough metallic chromium? He'd worn it around the past few days to get accustomed to the weight, but he was sure he was just as fast as before. It was the substance that Starfire had asked him and Speedy to pilfer.

Red X was told by Starfire that using Blackfire's allergies was not fair, but fortunately, he didn't give a damn about playing fair. Especially not when the fate of a city populated by so many people were at stake. Speedy, who opted against chromium-tipped arrows, congratulated him on his blatant gall.

"Ugh," He heard Blackfire groan. Luckily for him, he heard her start to mumble in English, "Why is there metallic chromium in this tower? Sister dear is more allergic than I am, the tower could not have it...you, go question the Titans! I shall find the source."

Red X rolled his eyes. Any person with half a brain would figure out that it was an intruder who brought chromium into the tower. Before he realized it, she was out in the hallway, having walked a few feet in front of him. He was glad he had hid in the natural shadow on the hallway, and he was also glad that Blackfire did not appear to be the most observant girl. He had two goals when handling Blackfire: to break the controls for Starfire's inhibitor collar, and shatter the Jewel of Charta.

"...X? Do...en...fire...over," The sharp static of Speedy's voice coming through made the black-haired girl whip around. Of course it would be inopportune timing. There went his ambush idea.

"Oh, what do we have -" The girl paused, sneezing. It was in that moment that Red X sprung into action, throwing a Xarang at her and launching himself in the air. Though she was recovering from her rather..._explosive_ sneeze, she looked up at the right moment to shoot crimson eyebolts at the object, causing it to melt. However, she did not expect Red X flying at her in midair.

He extended a bo staff from his shoddy utility belt, pressing a button that made one end spark. As he was about to land, he swung the staff right towards her collarbone. Blackfire, however, blasted him with a red bolt that knocked him far back into the wall. He heard a crack as pain rippled through his back. The staff dropped from his grip as he fell to the floor.

_'Woah...when Starfire said that the Jewel of Charta magnified a Tamaranean's powers, she wasn't kidding,'_ He thought, never remembering Starfire's angriest bursts having _that_ much power. Groaning, he got to his knees, hearing Blackfire sneeze and rolling out of the danger zone. He didn't think an allergic reaction could be so _dangerous._

As he rolled to the side, he swung his leg out and hit the back of her knees, making her fall. She sneezed again, and he took that time to gain an advantage. By the time she was done, Red X shot an X that trapped her, facedown.

"Oh, this trick again?" She asked, starting to struggle. He made sure he was out of the way of her eyebolts - he wouldn't get caught with that again. He knelt down beside her and felt her throat, his hand brushing against the jewel on her collar. "Touching a lady without her permission isn't very nice."

"Hate to break it to you, but you're no lady," Red X stated, about to unleash a shock through his glove when the X trapping her suddenly melted as she seemed to direct her eyebolts at the X. He had no time to react as she slammed the back of her head into his face, causing him to stumble back. He'd bitten his lip on accident, and the tang in his mouth brought light to the fact that his lip was bleeding.

_'She's tough,'_ He thought, feeling his legs being kicked out from underneath him as Blackfire swept her legs to knock him down. Before he fell, he was able to twist himself around mid-air and catching himself with his hands, flipping himself away from her as he heard her sneeze.

Facing her, he saw that her eyes were no longer glowing. Her eyes were watery and red, and her face looked slightly puffed up. He snickered. "Don't you look beautiful," He remarked snidely, Blackfire catching onto his sarcasm.

"At least I show my face," She said, one hand on her hip while the other grasped the remote, "Why do you hide yours? Sister dear must have an ugly friend."

He rose an eyebrow. _That_ gave him an idea. Blackfire might be dumb - and shallow enough - for it work. "Want to see the guy under the mask, kid?" He asked, poising himself. Her eyes were glowing red once more as her red bolts appearing on her hands.

"And reveal your identity to the Titans? I don't know of a thing that would irk you more," Blackfire said, and then added, "Really, I don't understand why Earth heroes try to keep their identities a secret."

"Well," He said, discreetly observing his surroundings to plot a path. There were no windows in the hallway they were in, or else he would've attempted to give Speedy the coordinates. Not that the communicator would have cooperated.

"If you want to reveal my identity, then you're going to have to catch me." He teleported past her and ran. He didn't expect to outrun - well, Blackfire was now flying after him - the Titan's sister. That wasn't his plan.

He felt another powerful bolt knock him forward, and though he was able to roll forwards to absorb the impact, a strong kick to his neck knocked him down. He wheezed, his airway temporarily closing on itself as a bruise formed around his neck. She kicked him so he was on his back, and stepped right on the laser burn on his arm. As she aggravated the burn, he sharply inhaled a breathe to keep himself from crying out. She smirked.

"Is that _all?_" Blackfire asked, her arms crossed. He said nothing, but let out a frustrated huff that made her smirk more malicious. "And you thought you were going to escape, huh? Sister dear must have infected you with her stupidity." She pinned him down, her knees on his stomach with her hands on his elbows. Blackfire's amazing strength kept him down.

The girl quickly unmasked him, and though he had been expecting the action, he flinched nonetheless. "Oh my...you're handsome. I'm surprised sister dear does have a good taste in men," The alien drawled, bringing her face close to him. "I wonder if you can kiss as good as you look?"

It was funny how this scenario was all too much like the one when he and Starfire had been mockfighting a few days ago. But it was precisely because of that experience that he knew what to do next. Before she could touch his lips, he headbutted her. The action startled her, making her jolt backwards.

Temporarily free of her strength, he drew his legs to himself and placed them on her hips. This further distanced them, and Blackfire was now holding back a sneeze that was preventing her from acting properly. He placed his hands behind him, palms on the ground as he lifted himself up and pushed off the girl to perform a backwards roll. The space between them was close, and he managed to kick her elbow upwards as he did so, making her drop the remote.

It fell to the floor. It was soon crushed underneath Jason's foot as his feet landed on the floor, successfully performing his backwards roll. "Sorry," A minute smirk crossed his face, "But you're just not my type."

She let out a cry, but the dramatic display of emotion was ruined by her sneezing. Jason brought out his communicator to see that it was mostly damaged from the battle. Being tossed around hadn't done much for it. He decided to try to contact them anyway, moving away from Blackfire. "Check Starfire's collar. Do you copy? Over," He said into the communicator, only to hear a burst of static and something that sounded like Speedy.

"...or...es...ver?" Was all he managed to get out of the message. Pocketing the communicator once more, he barely dodged one of Blackfire's bolts. They were larger now, and looking at the girl, he could tell he made her angry. _Very_ angry.

"It's a shame, but I'm going to add more scars to that face of yours," Blackfire flew towards him at such speed that he had no time to react as he felt a hand around his throat, being shoved against a wall. One hand gripped his throat tightly, another gripped the hand that was reinforced with metallic chromium. She adjusted her hand so that they were now interlocking fingers.

"Look at that, we're holding hands," Blackfire sneered, a crimson bolt surrounding her hand. He flinched as he felt her melting the metal and his glove with her bolt. It was hot enough to burn through his heat-resistant glove. "And I thought you said I _wasn't_ your type?"

"You're not," He choked, feeling a knee in his abdomen. She dug it in his stomach; all options of breathing were suddenly cut off as her grip tightened around his throat. He felt her hand heat up with the energy of her bolts. A blade shaped like an X appeared from his free glove, and he took no time in stabbing the girl in the leg. She dropped her knee as he withdrew the wrist-mounted blade from her leg, then using it to stab the arm that was constricting his airway.

She growled, throwing him to the floor as she withdrew her hand. The black-haired alien didn't let go of his hand, however, so a _pop_ resounded from his shoulder. Jason winced and let an electric shock emit from what was left of his glove to get her to back off. However, his exposed skin was hit as well. All of the metallic chromium had melted and was now in such trace scatters across the area, it would not bother Blackfire as much.

He said nothing as he glanced at his hand; only his palm was exposed and burnt. His fingers were still covered with the material. But that was only part of the problem; he touched his dislocated shoulder. If he didn't relocate it soon, it would start to be a real hindrance. Jason's eyes flicked up as he heard Blackfire yelling orders at a Schlurch that entered the room. It appeared that Blackfire didn't want reinforcements. Hadn't she ever heard of hubris? Refusing reinforcements because she was confident that she would win was incredibly foolish - but fortunate for him.

He gritted his teeth as he saw that this was his chance to strike. She left herself completely open. He threw an X at her with his good glove, the X landing right on her jewel. The X exploded, sending her back. Jason stood, pushing the aching pulsating from everywhere to the back of his mind. He'd been through worse. Much worse.

She was on her feet in no time. Her eyes were now a sinister purple, her starbolts sharing the same color. She threw a barrage at him, and he began to run. He narrowly dodged one by jumping in the air, and then teleported towards her. Still in midair, he spun around for a kick to the side of her head. He kicked her just a milisecond before she shot her eyebolts at him, causing them to miss his face by inches. He landed deftly on his feet in relief.

The alien was livid when she rose. "I will _not_ let my sister and her friends get the best of me again!" She seethed. Jason was all too familiar with the entire 'being overshadowed by prodigal sibling' dynamic, and unfortunately it seemed Blackfire was suffering from that same complex. Or at least some sort of variation. "I'm through going easy on you," She hissed, flying towards him.

"Oh? You were going easy on me? That explains it, kid," He taunted.

She shot her bolts at either side of him, so his only option was to turn around and run. When he saw her shadow catching up to him, Jason slid on the floor, letting Blackfire fly over him. As she did so, he quickly popped himself up and kicked the girl in the abdomen. He was on his feet as she dropped, and quickly he grabbed her elbow and wrist and then brought her forearm to his knee. He heard a nasty _crack_ that resulted in her shrieking, which made him wince. He didn't break her arm - no, she was too strong for that - but he definitely fractured it.

And she was _definitely_ mad. Sudden pain flooded his mouth as he realized Blackfire had punched him so hard that she cracked his jaw. Well, to be fair, he probably deserved that. Fracturing her arm wasn't a very nice move. Despite the fact that she only had one arm dispensable, it didn't stop her fury. Though he could block most of her swings, the impact still shook him, and blows that landed on his burned raw arm forced him to bite down on his lip. She was not holding back with her strength. He had no choice but immobilize her other arm.

When she threw another punch at him, he dodged it and grabbed her wrist firmly. He then stepped on her foot and with his other leg kicked her as hard as he could in the shoulder. A _pop_ resounded as her face contorted in pain. Releasing her, he huffed, "How does a dislocated shoulder feel?"

She winced as she brought her fractured arm to her shoulder, using her strength to pop it back into place. Well, damn. There went the idea of immobilizing her.

"Better than how you're going to feel," She hissed, firing a bolt at him. It hit him square in the chest, causing him to stumble back into the wall. She flew to him at top speed, digging her first into his stomach. His world flashed black for a moment, but when it came back into view he desperately slammed his gloved hand on her back, placing an explosive X on her shoulder. Though the blast radius also blew him back, it got her off of him.

Jason fell to the floor, his breathing becoming ragged and tainted with blood seeping through his lips. It was a sickeningly bright color. _'Fuck, an organ must have ruptured,' _He thought, his hand shakily touching his ribcage. He sucked in a deep breath as his fingers gingerly touched his side, pain spiking through him. She had to have cracked - or broken - one side of his ribcage. Luckily, it was just one.

Lying on his side, he fished out his communicator and silently pleaded with it to work. He smacked it against the floor a few times, hopefully allowing the battery to jostle. The static cleared for a moment, and Jason took that as his chance to call for back-up. It hurt his pride to ask for help, but he had grossly underestimated Blackfire's capabilities.

"Re-" Before he could start his sentence, the communciator was snatched out of his hand. He made a motion to rise, but a foot on his side made him change in mind. She applied just enough pressure to his cracked bones that it kept him temporarily immobile from the sheer pain.

"Hello, sister dear? I have your friend here. The handsome one. Say hello," Blackfire leaned down, holding the communciator near his mouth. She put more force on his ribs; Jason biting through his lip to keep himself from giving her the satisfaction of hearing him in pain. "I said, _say hello._" More pressure. He felt the urge to vomit as he heard more cracking. How the hell were the two related? One was a psychotic, vicious freak. The other was the sweetest person he'd ever met.

"H...H-Hello," He choked out, trying to keep his voice as even as he could. It hurt to move his jaw, but he wouldn't be curt with his words. Jason didn't want Starfire to worry. Though to be fair, he would enjoy seeing her unleash the asskicking that Blackfire deserved. "Y-Your h-h...house must b-be..." He took a deep breath, "...fun a-at h..holidays, cutie."

"I don't think she heard you," Blackfire smirked, digging her foot into his ribs just a bit more. He squeezed his eyes shut, his body freezing up. The fact that he was lying on his dislocated shoulder didn't help much, either. But his _ribs._ He groaned, opening his eyes just in time to see that the cavalry had arrived.

"You are wrong, sister. I did hear you."

And damn, did his friends look _mad._


	9. can't hold us

Cyanocitta

Hello everyone! I am so, so, so terribly sorry this update has taken me so long to pump out. I also apologize that this chapter isn't as long as it should be for the time to took to type out )= But thank you everyone for your awesome reviews!

viii. can't hold us

* * *

"You have hurt my friend, sister," Neither Red X nor Speedy had ever heard Starfire sound so _angry_, "I am sorry, but I shall not be going easy on you."

Blackfire laughed, "You might have beat me before, sister dear, but I refuse to have you exile me again."

"Please, Speedy, ensure that the Red X is alright," Starfire demanded, her eyes a bright green. When Jason had destroyed the remote, her powers had clicked back into place. She flew towards her sister, the two engaging in battle.

Speedy ran over to where Red X was, taken aback when he realized he was unmasked. As the archer knelt beside to inspect his wounds, he commented, "You're...I mean, you look _just like_ Bruce Wayne's son." His voice went quiet as he added in a ghastly whisper, "The one who…died."

Jason said nothing to Speedy's conjecture. He didn't feel like dealing with Speedy freaking out over his identity, especially when the ginger archer had no idea about the truth. All he really wanted right now was ribs not puncturing his lungs.

"M-My...shoulder's di-dislocated," He breathed out, Speedy helping him sit up.

"If that's _all, _then she must've dislocated it into your heart, man. You look like you need the ER," The redhead stated, leaning him against a wall and adding, "This might hurt." Speedy successfully relocated Red X's shoulder by grasping his shoulder and forcing it to roll back, popping it into place with a wince. Speedy made sure they both were protected as Blackfire flew over head, slamming into the wall above them. Grabbing onto Jason's arms, the archer dragged the thief out of the warzone. Rubble from the wall fell as Blackfire fell with it, getting caught by Starfire. She seemed to be thoroughly whooping her sister, and as much as Jaosn wanted to revel in this moment, there were other things to attend to.

"She...cr-cracked my..." He gestured to his side, and then to his mouth. It was obvious by the way his mouth looked that his jawbone had been broken and didn't belong in that position. Speedy's eyes widened at realization. Blackfire had super strength, after all. It was easy for her to break his bones.

"I don't think I can help you there," Speedy said, reaching for Red X's cape and tearing a piece of it off. He handed it to the boy and added, "Your blood is bright. Something internal has to be punctured."

_'I already assumed that much, thank you,' _The thief thought, wiping his mouth and proceeding to stand up.

"You probably shouldn't move."

"What...sage a-advice," He breathed, every intake another dagger in his side. It hurt just to _breathe._ "Get my ... mask f-for me, Sidekick," He ordered, slumping back down as Speedy dutifully did as he asked.

When Speedy held the mask back to him, their eyes met. "How did you survive, Jason?" He asked, Jason snatching the mask back and placing it back on. "That has to be you, right?" Red X ignored him, and just prayed that Speedy wouldn't be a tattletale and go off to Gotham. Or, even worse, tell Green Arrow, who would tell Batman and that would then mean…

'_What a pain,'_ He thought to himself, regretting his earlier strategy of getting Blackfire interested in him.

"Stop talking," Red X demanded, nodding towards where Starfire and Blackfire were fighting. "G-Go and...help." Red X wished he could do something, but unfortunately it was difficult to even breathe, especially now that the mask was on. He wished he hadn't even let Speedy see his face; but for some reason, he didn't think the redhead would blab to everyone, especially when the archer didn't seem confident about the boy he just saw.

He watched as the injured Blackfire tried to deal with her more powerful sister and the capable archer. He noted out of the corner of his eyes that some Schlurchs were coming into the room to interfere, but he stopped them with his Xs and other gadgets. He had just about run out of what he had on him, and he never liked being unprepared. He glanced up at Starfire, who was currently heating up one of his Xarangs and throwing it at her sister. He shook his head. Did their training before the battle completely fly out of her head? It wasn't like he could complain; Blackfire was so severely outclassed by the two fighters that Red X knew this pathetic little invasion was going to crumble.

He could've teleported out of there and let the two redheads handle the rest. Blackfire was just about done with her defiance. He could've teleported out of there and not dealt with the rest of the Titans. With Robin. But he decided against it. A _thank you_ from a pride-crushed Robin would be more than enough satisfaction for what he'd done. As long as Speedy kept his mouth shut, and he had no reason to open it in front of Robin, whose identity Red X prayed he didn't know.

By the time he was done musing, Blackfire was subdued and Red X found himself in a crushing hug from Starfire. "_Friend!_" Her voice was laced with pure elation, "You are alright!"

"No," He choked out, his own voice tinted with pain as he coughed, "B-Brok..broken ribs..." He felt liquid against his mask and lifted his mask to wipe his mouth, his gloves now streaked with red.

The girl instantly let go of him, a flush crossing her face as a look of worry crossed her face. He wished she wouldn't worry about him, but _god_ did she look adorable. She held his utility belt back to him, and gratefully he clipped it back on. Wow, he hadn't realized how much he had been craving a cigarette.

"Let's go get the city back," Speedy said, gesturing to the stairs that led to the living room.

"Meet you there," Red X nodded, glancing at Blackfire who appeared to be unconscious. He looked back at the Schlurchs, some of whom were escaping. He was sure that the Green Lantern Corps would have such fun apprehending Drenthax IV. But what had Blackfire's intentions been? To bring another planet's fleet to conquer the Earth…he wasn't sure what her mastermind plan was, but at least it was foiled.

He teleported to the room, seeing that the Titans were in clear globes that contained them. Along the floor were wires, probably connecting to the power source that kept the Tower running despite the EMP. Red X was almost relieved to see that Blackfire hadn't been a sadist and didn't appear to be torturing them – and then he looked at their uniforms. Most of them looked exhausted and a bit bruised up. Maybe Blackfire _did_ have some fun lashing out on them.

He tried not to feel sorry for them, and instead thought, _'__It…builds character.'_ Haha. _Right._

"Red X!" Robin slammed his fists against the globe, glaring at him. Red X was stationary, looking back at Robin as his fists dropped from the globe, relaxing. "I didn't think _you_ would come to save us. Where's Starfire?"

"You _know_ this guy?" Bumblebee asked. Due to the sudden...alien invasion, Red X hadn't faced her or her branch of Titans.

"Unfortunately," Robin muttered.

"Hombre misterioso, nos salvas?" The two speedsters in separate globes pressed their faces against the edge, looking at him with wonder.

Red X rose an eyebrow, "No, pero mis amigos van a salvar ustedes."

"Qué? Que tacaño..." The boys muttered.

"Woah, you speak Spanish?" Beast Boy asked, and then laughed, "That's something _Robin_ can't do!" Robin gritted his teeth and turned to look at his green teammate, yelling something about Beast Boy being quiet, which caused a raucous laughter to ripple through the Titans encased in globes.

Red X didn't walk over to them. That would show that he was injured, and he definitely didn't want any sympathy from any of them, especially not from Robin. He instead stayed where he was, leaning against a counter and crossing arms.

"Sorry kids," He breathed carefully, grateful for the voice changer masking the pain in his voice, "But I'm not the rescue committee."

"Friends!" The same elated voice that had greeted him a moment ago now made itself known in the living room. Red X glanced at Starfire's face as she lit up at seeing her friends - and Robin.

"Boy Wonder _smiling?_ That's a first for you, Chuckles," Red X commented, but his comment went mostly unheard as Speedy entered the room.

"So now," The archer started, "We've got to figure out a way that will-"

Starfire unleashed her eyebolts at the sphere that was holding Robin. He ducked, cape over his head, as the sphere melted.

"That works too," Speedy scratched his head as Starfire proceeded to free the rest of the Titans. Red X stayed where he was, as Robin approached him begrudgingly.

"I'm not here to give out autographs, kid," He said, crossing his arms.

"Thanks for...keeping Starfire safe," Robin cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "And for...well, I'm sure you helped get her and Speedy in here. If you were any other guy, that would make you an honorary Titan."

Red X almost felt as if he could die from laughter. Did Robin _really_ just say that? "So you're letting me off the hook from my past crimes?" To be honest, he was grateful Robin didn't want to persecute him. In this state, he would _definitely_ lose. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if he had enough xenothium to teleport again.

"To me it seems that you _like_ being the hero," Robin crossed his arms, mimicking Red X. Robin had given a T-Comm to Gizmo before, back when he'd been drafted into the Master of Games' ruthless competition. Sure, Cyborg had revoked it, but Robin had still offered. The boy wonder inhaled deeply and then huffed. "Well…we've given a T-Comm to Gizmo before…"

Red X would've laughed, but he knew that he'd just be in more pain. "Keep it, Chuckles," He spoke slowly, "I don't want to join your heroic jamboree." What use would he even have for a communicator? It wasn't like he'd ever join their forces if they needed help against another villain. "Unless…it has perks." If his T-Comm could act like a Get Out of Jail Free card, then...

"_No,_" Robin growled, "Just because you've saved us all -"

"And the entire city of Jump, kid. And that's a population of…remind me again?"

The Titan exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes, which made Red X grin. Really, one of his favorite past times had to be bothering this kid. "Right, I get it. You…" He took a deep breath, his teeth grinding as he uttered, "Saved. Everyone. Just what exactly were you after, Red X?"

"A little gratitude, for starters," He replied smoothly as Robin glanced behind him to see how the other Titans were holding up. Most of them were already free and waiting for direction from their leader. As Red X predicted, Robin took an inordinate amount of time expressing his gratitude, but when he did, it was beautiful. He should've recorded it, really.

"_Thank you,_" Robin finally said, and it was that moment that the Titans were now all free. The leader whipped around to face his team.

"Awwyeah, baby!" Cyborg grinned, "Time to go kick some alien butt! No one invades _my_ city, and _no one_ invades my tower!" The expression on Cyborg's face contorted as he saw the decoration changes Blackfire had done to the living room. She had given it her flair, and Cyborg didn't like it one bit.

"Are there even any aliens left?" Raven asked quietly, attempting to tune out Cyborg and Beast Boy who were busy chipping off a coat of black paint. Aqualad was with them, using his power over water to help.

"We couldn't get rid of all of them," Speedy said, "There are some left in the tower. And then there's Blackfire to deal with..."

"Titans," Robin addressed the group. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Aqualad stood at attention, now serious. "It's time for some clean-up." He punched his fist into his palm with a smirk as the Team nodded and separated to go off and take care of the Schlurchs. Most of them were ready to initiate some payback, and Red X had no doubt that they would get to the bottom of this. Starfire and Robin, however, lingered.

'_Great,'_ He thought bitterly, _'__Do I get to see them have a reunion kiss?'_ Sign him up for _not that._

"If you two are going to kiss -" Red X started, but Starfire flushed and shook her head.

"I merely wish to inquire what you are going to do now," She said, and then added, "I can escort you to a hospital."

"Hospital?" Robin asked, and Red X seethed at the concern dotting his voice. There was no way he was going to let _Robin_ know he was hurting.

Starfire nodded, oblivious to Red X's desire. She floated over to Robin and interlocking fingers with his hand. Red X tried not to notice. "Yes! He faced Blackfire with the Jewel of Charta, and was bleeding from his mouth -"

"_Mouth?_" Robin asked, making Red X tense up. "Star, you saw his face?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here. That's not nice, kids," The thief knew it was time to leave. He thought he would vomit if he saw the two get lovey-dovey over each other; the fact that they were so close and holding hands made him - no, he wasn't jealous.

"Starfire, you know who he is?" Robin rephrased more aggressively, gesturing to the thief. Red X attempted to teleport, but only ended up fizzing and staying in the same spot. Wonderful. Almost out of xenothium. He had enough left for maybe one more shock from his glove. To be fair, he had used up his suit's abilities during his trek through the Tower.

Starfire let go of Robin's hand, looking like she was caught between a rock and a hard place. She did not want to lie, and she did not want to betray Red X's trust. Especially not when he was right in front of her! Her pause made Robin tense up; Red X could see that he was getting fed up with this charade.

"Robin, I -"

"Who _are_ you?" The leader turned around to the thief, and before Red X could react, Robin extended his bo staff and slammed it against Red X, pinning the thief to the counter. Part of the staff was applying pressure to his ribs, which made it difficult to counter.

"Robin, you are hurting him! I will not let you hurt my friend!" Starfire shouted, grabbing onto Robin and pulling him away from the thief.

"Star, he _stole_ my suit! I have a right to know who he is. He may have saved us, but that doesn't mean he isn't a criminal!" Robin fought Starfire off, insistent on learning his identity. This was a complete 360 from his earlier friendliness. Why was Red X not surprised?

Red X had one trick up his sleeve that might allow him to escape. He had to try. The aching in his side made it difficult to sort out any logic that his plan had, and right now his priority was going right to his apartment and laying down. As the pressure continued, he became more desperate, and then finally he said,

"You sure haven't changed, _Grayson._"

Robin stopped, his eyes widening. He pulled back, the bo staff dropping from his hands. His mouth hung slightly ajar, too frozen to do anything else. Predictable. This now gave the thief the leverage to move his arms. Red X reached forward, tapping Robin's head as he emitted a shock from his glove that would paralyze him long enough for him to get away.

"Robin!"

"He's fine," Red X started to hobble away. This was so _embarrassing._ He couldn't even walk straight. Maybe he wouldn't be able to make a quick getaway.

Suddenly, Starfire was at his side, lifting most of his weight and helping him walk quicker. "I believe you are in need of the hospital," She said, looking back at Robin, lying on the floor. She paused, letting go of Red X briefly. She flew over to Robin, and quickly carried him to the couch. The Princess hesitated once more, and then quickly floated over to the kitchen to grab a sticky note and a pen. She scribbled something down, and left it right in Robin's hand. Starfire needed to find out why Red X didn't want Robin to know his name. And why had he called him Grayson? Was that Robin's real name?

Starfire was back to helping Red X walk, and directed him to an elevator. Once they were in it, Red X stated, "I can't." The redhead blinked, realizing he was talking about going to the hospital.

"I do not understand why not."

"First, they're out of electricity. Second, they'll ask who I am, and ask for family. They're smart enough to take discreet DNA tests if they know I'm a thief," He huffed, "Think they're gonna pass up on the chance to ID a criminal, cutie?"

"Where shall you go for treatment?" Starfire practically carried him to the entrance of the tower, careful not to hurt him as she did so. They talked on their way there, observing the state of the Tower and the energetic Titans ready to whoop butt as they did so.

"My apartment," He answered. Broken ribs would heal with time. So would his internal injuries; as long as he was still and didn't risk a hemorrhage, he would be fine. Sure, he would probably be in a lot of pain and discomfort, but it would be better than everyone finding out his identity. Though he should probably see a doctor, he'd been through much worse.

"I shall come," Starfire said, "I do not wish for you to be alone, especially while you are not like this."

"What about your sister?" He asked, surprised. "What about the invasion forces?" Didn't she want to stay around and apprehend the criminals, especially when one of them was her sister? Did she really care about Jason's wellbeing that much?

"I am sure Robin shall deal with Blackfire appropriately. I have already exiled her. I am unsure of what else to do," Starfire said, hoping that the Titans could contain her. The lack of electricity would make it hard to jail her or exile her to anywhere without reassurance she would not come back. "I have already left a note that Robin should not look for me. After you are no longer hurting, I will then inquire details about the situation."

She seemed insistent on staying with him, it genuinely surprised him. It made him feel _important._ That was a first. "As well," She hovered in place, biting on her lip, "I know you do not have any other friends."

Well, that was true. Speedy was someone Red X could now comfortably call an ally, but he would never ask the archer for help in a situation like this. Especially not when Speedy was onto his identity – that would just make things difficult. "No," He stated, "Don't pity me, cutie."

"You misunderstand!" She said as they passed by Más y Menos high fiving each other and rounding up some Schlurchs, "I do not pity. I care."

"Boy Wonder is going to be thrilled," He remarked.

"I am not sure if Robin is happy that we are friends," She said, but shook her head, "But that does not matter. I shall not leave you."

He glanced at her. Her face was full of determination, and worry. She was set. When she said that she wasn't going to leave him, Red X knew that she wasn't lying. To hear someone say that and mean it so vehemently felt…well, it felt nice to be cared about.

"Are you sure?" He asked, as they came across the room Blackfire had been knocked unconscious in. She was still unconscious, but nonetheless, Starfire paused before her. Cyborg and Bumblebee were just a few feet away, embroiled in an argument about how best to contain her. "You being absent could put a hold on their interrogation process," He reminded her, almost as if he was persuading her otherwise.

"I am aware," Starfire said, but then turned to him, "But can they not hold her until you are well? I cannot – shall not abandon a friend."

"Are you sure?" He repeated, mentally hitting himself. It was just so sudden to see Starfire – or anyone, really, care. It was as if he was trying to pepper her with so many questions that she would drop the act of caring. But it wasn't an act.

"Yes."

Well, that was that.

"... Thanks."


End file.
